A ‘Minor’ Glute Strain Could Cost Jacob deGrom More Than Just One Start

Texas Rangers ace Jacob deGrom is dealing with what the team is calling a “minor” glute strain, and now there is growing concern that he might miss more than just his scheduled Sunday start. According to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News, Rangers manager Skip Schumaker was asked whether a trip to the injured list is on the table. The response was not exactly reassuring.

“We are still working through that,” Schumaker said.

That kind of vagueness tends to make fanbases nervous. Especially when the player in question is a 38-year-old with a long injury history. For a Rangers team that is trying to stay in the thick of the American League West race, this is not the kind of uncertainty you want heading into the final series before the All-Star break. The Rangers face the Houston Astros at home this weekend, and deGrom was supposed to be the anchor.

Instead, they are left waiting to see if this becomes a longer-term issue.

DeGrom has been solid this season, even if he is not quite the unhittable force he was during his prime years with the Mets. In 18 starts, he has posted a 3.49 ERA and racked up 122 strikeouts across just over 100 innings of work. The stuff is still there — the fastball still touches the upper 90s, the slider still gets whiffs — but at this stage of his career, durability is the biggest question mark.

And that is exactly why this glute strain matters more than it might for a younger pitcher. deGrom has already dealt with forearm and elbow issues in recent years. Every new tweak, no matter how minor, brings back the same question: How long before something more serious pops up?

The Rangers are trying to stay afloat in a division that also features the Astros and a surging Seattle team. Texas needs its best arms healthy down the stretch. If deGrom ends up needing a stint on the injured list, even a short one, it puts more pressure on the rest of the rotation. Nathan Eovaldi and Jon Gray would have to carry more weight. The bullpen, already somewhat shaky, would be stretched thinner.

Schumaker did not give a timeline. The team has not confirmed anything beyond the injury diagnosis itself. But the wording — “we are still working through that” — suggests that the Rangers are not entirely confident this is just a one-start thing.

So for now, everyone waits. The Rangers will play the Astros without their star on the mound. And every update on deGrom’s status will be watched closely by a fanbase that knows how quickly “minor” can turn into “see you in September.”