Considering Jacob deGrom has proven just about everything he can on the mound this spring, it’s time for the two-time Cy Young Award winner to take on a new challenge.

The Mets intend to have deGrom become their first pitcher to hit in roughly a year during his next outing, Sunday against the Nationals. Following another strong performance in an 8-3 win over the Astros on Tuesday, deGrom said he expects to start taking batting practice in earnest this week.

“I guess I’m excited to hit,” deGrom said laughing. “I’d probably be more excited if I had a little practice with it, so I’d better get in the cage this week.”

Mets pitchers had only just begun hitting in games when Major League Baseball cancelled Spring Training last March due to the coronavirus. When the season restarted, the designated hitter rule was in effect for both leagues, meaning deGrom hasn’t picked up a bat in 12 months.

That’s about to change, even though deGrom -- a former college shortstop who’s a career .189 hitter with three home runs in the Majors -- will mostly be working on his timing in Grapefruit League games. (He’s tentatively scheduled to face Max Scherzer on Sunday.) Hitting will be a more significant adjustment for rotation members Carlos Carrasco, Marcus Stroman and Taijuan Walker, who have all spent large chunks of their careers in the American League.

Unlike deGrom’s first three Grapefruit League starts, which all came against the Astros, his next two are lined up against the same Nationals team he’s slated to face on Opening Day. While the Mets intend to use deGrom on Sunday, they could switch him to a back fields “B” game on March 26 to avoid showcasing too much of what he has to offer. So far this spring, deGrom has struck out 16 batters over nine innings, with three hits and one run allowed.

“The goal is to get the work in,” deGrom said, noting that his pitch sequences are different in Spring Training than during the regular season. “I think everybody has a switch when the lights turn on that it’s time to go. But I feel like if we can get the work done and not give them an extra look, then it only benefits the pitcher. The more looks a batter has against you, they’re seeing you more, so it’s a positive for them -- not necessarily for me.”

From the trainer’s room
Carrasco threw his first bullpen session in roughly a week on Tuesday, with plans to advance to live batting practice on Thursday. The right-hander has been battling a sore pitching elbow, but he said over the weekend that he expects to be ready for Opening Day.

“I don’t feel frustrated about this; this is something normal for me,” Carrasco said. “I'm really happy that I started throwing today, and I’ll just kind of take it day by day now.”

Back it up
Brandon Nimmo experienced the pros and cons of his new outfield positioning on Tuesday, ranging back to rob a home run from Alex Bregman in the fourth inning, but pulling up short of a two-run Taylor Jones bloop double in the sixth. On a tip from the Mets’ analytics team, Nimmo has moved his average center-field starting position back this spring, because he is better at tracking balls in front of him than behind him.

Although Nimmo did not snare Jones’ fly ball, he told manager Luis Rojas afterward that he was simply trying to avoid a collision with second baseman Jeff McNeil; had it been a regular-season game, Nimmo would have been more aggressive in pursuing it.

“We’re pretty comfortable where his starting point is right now as far as positioning,” Rojas said. “I think it’s going to improve his chances to be better out there.”

Roster cuts
The Mets optioned two additional players out of Major League camp on Tuesday, sending outfielder Khalil Lee (Mets' No. 7 prospect) and pitcher Sam McWilliams to the Minors.

McWilliams, the Mets' No. 16 prospect, entered camp with a realistic chance to make the team. While he impressed the Mets with his radar gun readings, reaching the upper 90s during Grapefruit League games, control was an issue throughout the spring. (McWilliams walked five batters in three innings.) He'll attempt to straighten things out in the Minors, with a chance to contribute later this season.

Roar of the crowd
Mets players were encouraged by the news that the Nationals intend to allow 5,000 fans into their stadium on Opening Day. It will mark the first time the Mets play in front of fans in a big league stadium since September 2019.

Rojas called the news “exciting,” saying he has reveled in the roughly 1,400 fans who have attended their Grapefruit League games in Port St. Lucie, Fla. Rojas added that the crowd was particularly noticeable on Sunday, when Luis Guillorme electrified Clover Park with his 22-pitch walk.

“Even though it’s at 20% capacity, you feel the adrenaline, the warmth, the support of the fans,” Rojas said. “Having 5,000, having the percentage it is according to the capacity of Nationals Park, I think, is exciting. It’s going to be good for the guys to have live fans again. It’s going to be a special day.”