Rangers' Jacob deGrom lands on 15-day IL after exiting early vs. Yankees

The Texas Rangers are once again having to be cautious with their new ace.

Jacob deGrom has been placed on the 15-day Injured List with right elbow inflammation, the team announced Saturday. Yerry Rodríguez has been called up from Triple-A for Saturday's game against the New York Yankees (4:05 p.m. ET).

deGrom was off to a spectacular start in the Rangers' 5-2 win Friday night before he left in the fourth inning due to forearm tightness. It was the second time in three games that the two-time National League Cy Young Award winner exited early because of injury concerns.

"Just being cautious here," Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said. "We'll evaluate him tomorrow, and see how he feels."

deGrom, who didn't talk to media after the game, retired his first 10 batters and had a 5-0 lead before he walked Anthony Rizzo with one out in the fourth. deGrom had thrown only 10 balls to the first 10 batters, but after the walk got a full count on Gleyber Torres before his flyout.

Then, ahead 0-2 on Willie Calhoun, deGrom threw a 96.6 mph fastball that sailed outside for a ball. The pitcher reached for his left side, then followed with an 89.4 mph slider. His 50th and slowest pitch of the night was outside, and Calhoun lined an opposite-field single to left.

Athletic trainer Jacob Newburn and pitching coach Mike Maddux went to the mound, and Maddux summoned Bochy and met with the manager in foul territory. Bochy then went to the mound and deGrom walked to the dugout while Dane Dunning (2-0) was called in from the bullpen.

"He was throwing great," Bochy said. "It was Jacob as we know, and it just started to tighten up there a little bit."

deGrom exited his start on April 17 against the Kansas City Royals after four no-hit innings because of right wrist soreness. Five games later, he made his next scheduled start and struck out 11 on 80 pitches over six innings in a win against the Oakland A's that came before facing the Yankees for the first time since 2018.

Before signing a $185 million, five-year contract with the Rangers in December, deGrom was spent his first nine big league seasons with the New York Mets. He was plagued by injures that limited him to 156 1/3 innings the past two seasons, and Texas was cautious with him after he reported tightness in his left side before the team’s first scheduled workout of spring training, though he still was ready to start opening day.

Dunning, the first of three relievers, allowed two runs and three hits over 3 1/3 innings. He worked 4 1/3 scoreless innings when deGrom left the Royals game. Will Smith worked the ninth for his third save.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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