'He's the unicorn': deGrom caps 2nd return from TJ with All-Star bid

Jacob deGrom isn’t the first player to have Tommy John surgery. He definitely won’t be the last. But major surgery always includes questions regarding what the return will look like.

The Rangers' ace underwent his second Tommy John procedure in June 2023, just two months into his tenure with the club. He returned to the mound in September 2024, the first step to getting back to the pitcher he was before.

Last season's results looked like deGrom, who allowed two runs in 10 1/3 innings across three starts. It wasn’t perfect. But it was a step.

“Being able to come back last year and make a few starts, and then being able to treat the offseason a little bit more normal was huge,” deGrom said. “You still have a little bit of that unknown coming into spring. But I was able to have a normal off season in a normal spring. It didn't really feel like I was in rehab mode. It was more like, hey, let's prepare for the season.”

Now, in his first fully healthy season since 2019, deGrom was named an American League All-Star for the first time since ‘21.

deGrom, now a five-time All-Star, has been the ace of a Rangers rotation that has been one of the best in baseball in 2025. His 2.32 ERA ranks fourth in the Major Leagues among qualified starters, while his 0.91 WHIP is tied for third. His .194 opponents' batting average is tied for sixth.

“He’s incredible,” said catcher Kyle Higashioka. “I think the command is probably up there in the elite tier of anyone I've ever seen. So that, paired with the fact that he's usually throwing 100, is pretty darn good.

“It's just a testament to, one, the talent level, but also the mindset. It's a grind going through Tommy John. I mean, I haven't had two, but I've been there once, and I don't wish to do that again. Not only physically, but mentally. It's like you start to question whether or not you're going to come back. So it's tough.”

deGrom recently posted a streak of 14 consecutive starts of five or more innings and two or fewer runs, the longest such streak in franchise history (since 1961). It was also the longest streak by an American League pitcher since Seattle’s Felix Hernández had a 17-game streak in 2014.

“For me, he’s the unicorn,” said pitching coach Mike Maddux. “It’s easy. It’s very easy. He knows what he wants to do. He knows how he's been practicing all these years. He knows what he needs to do to prepare himself for a game. It's pretty easy. He makes it easy for us. He makes a game plan. He bets on himself over the hitters.”

When deGrom is healthy, he’s one of the best pitchers in the world. He just hasn’t been for so much of the past five years. He made only nine starts through his first two seasons with Texas due to the Tommy John surgery in June 2023. He had only 38 combined starts over the previous three seasons before he joined the Rangers -- which included the COVID-shortened 2020 season and several injuries from 2021-22.

The fact that he’s healthy means a lot to him. But it means a lot to baseball as well.

“I think it's a pat on the back, not only to Jacob deGrom but to Dr. Keith Meister, the man behind the scenes who put him back together,” Maddux said. “A healthy deGrom is one of the best in the game. I think he's shown this year that he's got his stuff back. I'm glad he's on our side.”

This All-Star selection clearly means a lot to deGrom, just because of the time he’s missed over the past five years. He didn’t even attend the Midsummer Classic in 2021, when he was named to the National League’s squad.

He has said that the time away made him miss the game even more. He’s just happy to be healthy and helping his teammates win games.

“It's a little bit of validation, but you still gotta be out there and pitch well in the second half,” he said. “Like I said, it's a huge honor. Coming back from a major surgery, there is some unknown. I'm fortunate enough to be able to throw the ball pretty well. I'm just thankful to be able to be back out there on a Major League mound.”