Miami - New York Mets ace Jacob deGrome has a healthy right elbow, but the team is unsure whether he will return this season, team president Sandy Alderson said.
DeGrom, 32, has not pitched since July 7 due to an elbow sprain. He was 7-2 with 1.08 ERA and 146 strikes before being sidelined.
"At this point the sprain has resolved itself," Alderson said Tuesday night before the Mets played in Miami. "Based on the MRI and our doctors' clinical evaluation the elbow is completely intact. We need to start to see if this is a chronic problem that is somehow related to mechanics."
The Mets defeated the Marlins 9–4 and are third in the National League East, four games behind division leader Atlanta and 3½ games behind the second NL wild-card spot.
Alderson also said Tuesday that he has little communication with acting general manager Zack Scott, who was arrested last week for drunk driving.
Alderson said the team was "caught by surprise," calling Scott's arrest "very unfortunate."
"I can't say much beyond the statements made earlier," Alderson said. "At this time it is a criminal matter. Until this is resolved, there will be no comment from us or anyone else in the organization."
Alderson said he had contacted Scott on several occasions since his arrest. How Scott is feeling, "It's hard for me to know at this point," Alderson said.
The Mets placed Scott on paid administrative leave following his arrest. Scott has pleaded not guilty to the charge and three traffic violations.
Scott, 44, joined the Mets in December as senior vice president and assistant general manager. GM Jared Porter was promoted to acting general manager in January following revelations that he had sent sexually explicit and uninvited text messages and pictures to a female reporter while working with the Chicago Cubs in 2016.