Degrom plays catch after getting OK from doctors

NEW YORK — The Mets have at least avoided the very worst news on Jacob degrom, who had been shut down from throwing since the end of July and hasn’t pitched in a game since July 7.

After results from an MRI came back Wednesday, doctors cleared degrom to play catch. He did so at Citi Field immediately.

Mets manager Luis Rojas was vague beyond that, saying that doctors “gave the green light” for the ace to play catch but there was “not a progression mapped out.” He said that he didn’t know the exact details of the MRI results, or if degrom could possibly return in uniform this year.

“It’d be huge to have him at the end,” Rojas said. “To see Jake late, probably at a perfect pointwherewe’reclosingthe gap or playing our division rivals, it would be ideal, right? ... We’ll see where we are, we’ll see how he progresses playing catch. If there’s a flag at some point, we’re probably gonna be smart about it . ... This is great news that we got from the doctor today that he’s throwing, that’s it,” he said.

More injury updates: While the Mets have had a major August swoon — although maybe not by franchise standards — they have been ravaged by injuries to big names and at key positions. The news was largely positive on that front Wednesday, although not entirely.

Noah Syndergaard will pitch an inning with the High-a Brooklyn Cyclones on Thursday, his first since making two rehab starts in St. Lucie in May. He was pulled from the second with right elbow soreness, a major setback in his rehab from 2020’s Tommy John surgery. Syndergaard is attempting to rejoin the Mets as a reliever down the stretch before hitting free agency.