deGrom plays catch with eyes on August return

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Rangers ace Jacob deGrom arrived at the Rangers’ facility this week one tiny step closer to his eventual return from Tommy John surgery.

deGrom began playing catch on Monday and resumed again on the first official day of workouts on Wednesday, just under eight months after the surgery to repair a torn right UCL that ended his 2023 season.

“He started his normal catch progression, that's part of the standard rehab for Tommy John,” general manager Chris Young said. “I don't know the exact distance or number of throws, but it was a great day. Jacob said he felt great. The training staff said he looked great and I think, medically, everything has been on track and is checking out, so we're very excited. That's a big step for him. It's a long way to go, but picking up the baseball and playing catch for the first time is significant, and it's a major hurdle that we've cleared. There’s many more to come, but we're on the right path here.”

deGrom isn’t the only Texas pitcher rehabbing this spring.

Right-hander Tyler Mahle, whom the Rangers signed to a two-year, $22 million deal this offseason, started throwing about a month ago after undergoing Tommy John surgery of his own last season. He said at Rangers Fan Fest last month that he was throwing from 90 feet with no setbacks early on.

Meanwhile, Max Scherzer -- whom Texas acquired at the 2023 Trade Deadline -- continues to rehab from surgery he underwent on Dec. 15 on a herniated disc. Young said Scherzer’s arm is “in good shape” as he continues to rehab his back early in Spring Training.

“[Mahle’s] progression is at a further distance with more intensity and volume [than deGrom],” Young said. “I think the timeline we hope for Tyler is July. I think Jacob is more like August, hopefully. And Max, I think we're shooting for June. But that said, there's no hard timetables on any of those guys at this point.”