Jacob deGrom was scratched from his start today against the Tigers with back stiffness. He ended up throwing a 39 pitch bullpen session this morning as a substitution in Port Saint Lucie. It is expected that deGrom’s next start will either be Thursday or Friday. deGrom spoke to ESPN New York’s Adam Rubin about the situation and stated, “I really didn’t want to ride on the bus for a couple of hours and then go try to pitch. … Today I feel good. Yesterday I felt good. I think it’s just more not sitting on the bus for a couple of hours and then going out there and pitching.”

I don’t believe this is a serious issue, as deGrom did end up taking the mound this morning anyway for a bullpen session. It would also make no sense to put your ace on a 2-hour bus ride today if he is having any sort of issue with his back. deGrom should be good to go later this week.