ARLINGTON — Texas Rangers right-handed pitcher Jacob deGrom now has a tangible timeline that ends with him in an organized game for the first time in over a year.
The two-time Cy Young award winner will throw a 40-pitch bullpen off the mound at Globe Life Field on Tuesday and again on Friday while the Rangers are in Toronto. After that, manager Bruce Bochy said, deGrom should transition to live batting practice before he embarks on a rehab assignment.
![Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jacob deGrom greets teammates before the season opener at...](https://dmn-dallas-news-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/P26HZEJ4G5ER3IL65T5WT3ZRNU.jpg?auth=9ed9ebdfe7b43d43454aa0928f38495d52fa0958ea7de77aaa62eb5d4c9679ee&width=430&quality=80)
“He’s getting close to facing hitters,” Bochy said. “He’s probably looking at three [live bullpen sessions] and then he’ll start a rehab.”
The 36-year-old has thrown multiple bullpens and worked his changeup and slider back into his repertoire this month. He’s now over 13 months removed from elbow surgery that stalled his introductory season with the Rangers after just six starts. He had a 2.67 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 30 and 1/3 innings last season.
He isn’t the only Texas pitcher on their way back. Both left-hander Cody Bradford and right-hander Tyler Mahle — the latter of whom hasn’t pitched in the major leagues this season after undergoing Tommy John surgery last May — will both throw for Double-A Frisco this week.
Bradford, who’s been sidelined with a fractured rib after just three April starts, is expected to throw two innings out of Frisco’s bullpen on Tuesday night. The 26-year-old pitched one scoreless inning for the Arizona Complex League Rangers on Saturday and said that he recovered fine from his first rehab outing.
“To me, bullpen, starting, it’s the same thing,” said Bradford, who will work out of the bullpen when he does return to the major leagues. “You just go out there and you try and get outs and give the team as many innings as possible. That’s kind of my mindset, and that’s where it’ll always be.”
Mahle will start his fifth rehab game on Thursday for Frisco. He’s yet to allow a run in 9 and 1/3 ramp-up innings and threw 46 pitches on Saturday for Triple-A Round Rock. The 29-year-old said that they’ve taken his progression “one game at a time,” and he isn’t sure how many innings or pitches he’ll throw Thursday — or how many rehab starts he still needs to make before activation.
“I feel good about it,” Mahle said. “I’ve felt ready to go each start, even the first one.”
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