Report: MRI on deGrom’s back looks OK
Jacob deGrom’s stiff back is back.
An MRI on the two-time National League Cy Young Award winner on Wednesday “didn’t show anything concerning” to the Mets, Newsday reported, one day after their ace pitched only one inning because of back tightness.
Manager Luis Rojas described deGrom, 32, as day to day and said it was too early to know whether this would affect his availability for opening day, which is July 24.
DeGrom dealt with preseason back tightness in 2016 and 2018, and both times it turned out to be a minor issue. In 2018, it slowed him down just enough that he missed opening day, pitching the second game of the season instead.
Critical context to any injury: The 2020 season is only 60 games. Even a small problem can cost a player a significant portion of the season.
■ Yankees OF Aaron Judge hit a home run to center field in his first at-bat Wednesday after missing three consecutive intrasquad games with a stiff neck . ... Cubs 1B Anthony Rizzo said he hopes to avoid starting the season on the IL after an MRI showed inflammation in his lower back. Rizzo, 30, has dealt with the issue several times during his career . ... Orioles OF Anthony Santander confirmed he missed the start of camp because he tested positive for COVID-19. Santander said he only experienced “mild symptoms.” He worked out with the team for the first time Tuesday.
College football: FBS teams can count two games against qualifying FCS teams toward bowl eligibility during the upcoming season, the NCAA’s Division I Council announced Wednesday. The council approved a blanket waiver request for only the 2020-21 bowl season, which allows all FBS teams to count two games against FCS opponents that average at least 80% of the maximum amount of football scholarships during a two-year period. Previous bowl eligibility rules allowed FBS teams to count one game against an FCS opponent that averaged 90% of the maximum amount of football scholarships during the two-year span.
NBA: Magic swingman James Ennis told reporters that he tested positive for the coronavirus several weeks ago and recently rejoined his team. Ennis said he experienced many symptoms while fighting the virus and admitted that he’s “rusty” as he works his way back.
NFL: Texans WR Kenny Stills was one of 87 people arrested while participating in a sit-in on the front yard of a Louisville home owned by Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron. The demonstrators were demanding justice for Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman who was fatally shot when police officers burst into her apartment using a no-knock warrant in the early morning hours of March 13 during a narcotics investigation. The warrant to search her home was in connection with a suspect who didn’t live there and no drugs were found inside. One officer has been fired, but no charges have been filed. Investigations are continuing.
Tennis: Third-ranked Dominic Thiem of Austria beat No. 8 Matteo Berrettini of Italy 6-7 (4) 6-4, 10-8 in the men’s final of a grass-court exhibition tournament in Berlin. Steffi Graf Stadium was largely empty for the match with spectator numbers restricted. No more than 800 fans were allowed in the 5,000-capacity stadium, though there were fewer present for the final after rain delayed play for seven hours. The women’s final between No. 5 Elina Svitolina of Ukraine and No. 12 Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic was postponed to Friday.