deGrom raring to go ahead of return from Tommy John

SEATTLE -- Jacob deGrom isn’t expecting to get a whole lot of sleep Thursday night, and it has nothing to do with the quality of the beds at the hotel the Rangers are staying at in Seattle.

“I’ve always had a tough time falling asleep before I pitch,” he said.

Standing in the visitors’ clubhouse at T-Mobile Park on Thursday before the Rangers opened their four-game series against the Mariners, the two-time Cy Young Award winner, coming off his second Tommy John surgery, faced questions ahead of his first Major League start since April 28, 2023, on Friday night.

And while deGrom admitted to a whole boatload of nerves, he said that, if anything, was a sign of normalcy for him.

“I’m nervous before every start I’ve ever made,” he said. “But once I get out there, those nerves will kind of go away. Then it’s trying to get back to what the goal is: getting people out, locate and go from there.”

It’s just been over 500 days since deGrom last had the chance to lose sleep over an impending big league start.

deGrom came to Texas on a five-year, $185 million deal ahead of the 2023 season. He got off to a red-hot start with the Rangers, logging a 2.67 ERA in his first six starts, with 45 strikeouts and just four walks, but it all came crashing down before the calendar flipped to May, with his injury and the resulting surgery -- his second time undergoing Tommy John -- ended his campaign in June.

Then, the road back began.

As pitchers and catchers reported for Spring Training, deGrom began playing catch again. Bullpens followed as spring wore into summer, and by August, the righty was ready to face batters. On Aug. 22, he began his rehab stint which lasted four outings before the Rangers announced his long-awaited return on Tuesday.

“It feels like it’s been forever.” deGrom said. “The first one, I was pretty much ready in 12 months, the second one you’ve got to be a little more cautious with. It feels like it’s been a long time. But going from the live BPs to the rehab starts, we were seeing light at the end of the tunnel. Then to finally get here, it’s going to be an exciting day for me.”

In 10 2/3 total innings, he allowed one earned run on four hits and a walk, and struck out 15. His final rehab outing -- last Saturday with Double-A Frisco -- was the longest of his rehab assignment, allowing one hit over four scoreless innings with five strikeouts.

Now, deGrom is set to finally make it all the way back, and take a Major League mound.

“I’ve been through it and I know how hard these rehabs are,” Rangers general manager Chris Young said. “When you see a player at their lowest point, when you tell them that there’s an injury that’s going to keep them from performing and being out there and they’re going to miss a significant period of time, and then you watch them go through the surgery, every day of rehab and the monotony that comes with that, and then to be back here and realize that all the hard work they’ve put in to be back out there, it’s a fun moment.

“These guys are special people in terms of the competitors they are, because not everybody makes it back. I don’t take for granted that these guys have done everything they possibly can to put themselves in the position to be back out here.”

deGrom’s return is the second part of a streak of pitching-related headlines for the Rangers in Seattle. Texas’ set began Thursday with Kumar Rocker, the No. 3 pick in the 2022 Draft and the Rangers’ No. 2 prospect -- making his long-awaited big league debut. Then comes deGrom, and on Saturday, Texas will welcome back Max Scherzer for his first start since July 30, with the 40-year-old coming off a six-week absence due to shoulder fatigue.

“It’s fun; I think it’s uplifting to the group,” Young said. “We’re playing a good team, a division rival and it’d be great to have a good series.”