The Mets abandoned Jacob DeGrom's MRI on his "barking" elbow because he felt good after playing Catch

The sky was falling briefly faster than usual for Mets fans on Friday when it was ad that Jacob deGrom would get an MRI on his elbow. Last year, Cy Young's National League winner said he felt like "barking" after throwing the ball earlier in the day. But despite worries about the possibility that it would end in the worst case (for example, a Tommy John surgery), DeGrom was apparently performing well enough to play the Draw at Busch Field on Saturday.

Mets manager Mickey Calloway told reporters that the team had even decided not to use an MRI on deGrom's elbow because he felt good after the first treatments. The New York launcher, whose departure had initially been moved from Saturday to Sunday due to strep throat, blamed the problems associated with the shift in schedule caused by his illness.

"I was sick from Atlanta, I had somehow hurt my body. For me, when I do not start, it seems that things are appearing. I was not in a normal routine. I was just trying to do enough to make my debut and I just felt a little sore elbow. I decided to say something. We talked to Mickey and Dave [Eiland] and we decided it was early in the season, I was sick. What is the point in trying to push it? After receiving treatment yesterday and getting things moving, he started to feel a little elbow. So I decided to launch today and I felt really good with the result.

One of the main reasons for the initial concern stems from its recent performance. In his last two outings, deGrom has allowed five homers in 13 hits, nine earned runs, five walks and 12 strikeouts over nine innings. That does not help either that he was operated by Tommy John in 2010. But, given his experience with Tommy John, it was easy for deGrom to avoid these concerns. He said the problems with his elbow were not close to what they were when he needed this surgery. He is going to see a doctor in New York on Monday, but he hopes to be ready to launch next week, once his the passage on the IL is over.

If the scenario of a recently paid Mets pitcher who refuses an MRI and hopes to play as soon as possible after feeling a pain in the elbow seems familiar, it is because it is the case. The current chronology of deGrom is strangely similar to that of Noah Syndergaard last season: a player whose wounds included a disease common to infants and toddlers. But I'm sure the Mets have learned a lot from this experience and they'll do it right this time.