PHILADELPHIA -- A week after their baby son Jaxon's birth, Mets starter Jacob deGrom and wife Stacey brought him home from the hospital Monday for the first time. The couple had been dealing with complications regarding Jaxon's birth, resulting in deGrom's placement on MLB's family-emergency list.
For the third time during this process, deGrom will drive more than two hours south from his home in DeLand, Fla., on Tuesday to throw at the Mets' Spring Training complex in Port St. Lucie, Fla. Where he slots into the Mets' rotation from there will depend upon how much he is able to throw in that simulated game. DeGrom is also in the final stages of nursing a sore right lat muscle, though manager Terry Collins is convinced that is no longer an issue.
In the meantime, right-hander Logan Verrett is scheduled to sub for deGrom for the second time on Tuesday in Philadelphia. Though deGrom's ensuing rotation turn is April 25 at Citi Field, the Mets could pencil him into their plans sooner. They must activate him from the family-emergency list by Saturday, giving the team reason to use him over the weekend in Atlanta if he is physically ready.
"It all depends what he gets out of tomorrow's session," Collins said Monday.