'This is getting old:' Mets ace Jacob deGrom exits start after 3 innings due to right shoulder soreness

NEW YORK — It’s a shame – for Jacob deGrom, for baseball, for all of us. 

DeGrom, the New York Mets ace who now has a 0.54 ERA, might be the most dominant player in baseball this season. He slings 102 mph fastballs, laces run-scoring hits and dashes around the bases. In almost every situation, he is superior to his opponent. 

And yet, he’s fallen victim to something that is sometimes out of an athlete’s control: Injuries.

The latest scare came when he departed Wednesday’s game against the Chicago Cubs after three perfect innings – in which he struck out eight of nine batters he faced – because of right shoulder soreness. This injury comes after the right flexor tendinitis (left a start early), which followed the right side tightness (injured list stint), which came after the right lat inflammation (scratched from a start). 

Injuries have ripped deGrom away from the mound at certain points this season. They’ve kept him from showcasing his greatness as often as he – and Mets fans – would like. 

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“This is getting old," deGrom said after the Mets beat the Cubs, 6-3, on Wednesday. "I want to be out there competing."

DeGrom said he felt good during his pregame routine, in the first inning and in the second inning. He didn't experience the soreness – which occurred on the back of his shoulder – until the third. It didn't improve from the first pitch to the last pitch of the inning, which told him he needed to depart the game. 

“I don’t know where to place the blame," he said. 

DeGrom will receive an MRI on Thursday. The Mets will know more after that. 

“There’s a bunch of I-don’t-knows right now," Mets manager Luis Rojas said Wednesday night.

And when he spoke, Rojas said his level of concern was low. He received an encouraging report during the game, when the Mets' medical staff tested deGrom's shoulder strength. They ruled out anything serious, deGrom said. 

At this point, there seems to be a collective weight on the fanbase. With each new injury scare, fans worry more and more. 

And it’s because everyone understands this: deGrom is putting together a season we’ve never seen before. He entered Wednesday’s start with the lowest ERA (0.56) and lowest WHIP (0.53) ever for a pitcher through his first 10 starts of the season. Not only is he the NL Cy Young front-runner, but he is a legitimate NL MVP candidate. 

Following three perfect innings on Wednesday, deGrom still holds the majors’ longest active scoreless streak at 25 innings. He has driven in six runs at the plate while only allowing four on the mound. 

He is incredible, unbelievable, otherworldly, superhuman. 

Which is why we all worry. 

The sport is better with its superstars – especially when they are at their best. Somehow, deGrom keeps improving. You think he’s at his best, then he outdoes himself five days later. Not only is he untouchable, but he’s provided a spark offensively. 

We deserve to watch someone like Jacob deGrom. Baseball needs him, and its fans crave him. 

His injuries this season, however, seem concerning. They bring questions, like: Does deGrom throwing 100-plus mph consistently increase his injury risk? They also bring a dose of reality: Even the best aren't immune to injuries. 

That first question might be most pressing. DeGrom has added velocity as his career has progressed. He's now throwing harder than ever. 

Could this be hurting him?

"I don't know the answer to that," deGrom said. 

And even if the Mets find a correlation between increased velocity and the injuries, could they even tell deGrom – who is competitive as all heck – to not throw as hard?

“I don’t think you can hold anyone from doing what he does," Rojas said. "That could even cause an injury because he wouldn’t be operating the same."

It's far too soon to speculate how deGrom's latest injury, the right shoulder soreness, will affect his season. Or the Mets' season. 

But we do know this: He is the Mets' best player and, without him, their road to achieving their ultimate goal of winning the World Series is much tougher. That's simply a fact. 

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That's why it's fair to wonder whether the Mets would place him on the injured list again – just to give him some time to rest and heal up.

“That’s a tough question because I want to be out there every fifth day, but it’s frustrating coming out of games like this," deGrom said. "Me, I expect to go out there and give us depth, and I haven’t done that like I expect out of myself. The bullpen has done a great job of picking me up, but I can’t keep doing that to those guys."

Of course, let's hope we don't have that conversation. As human beings, we should be rooting for deGrom to not be dealing with anything too serious. Baseball is better with him on the mound every five days. 

DeGrom on Wednesday had just completed three perfect innings. He didn't have his best stuff, but the Cubs couldn't touch him as only one of the nine batters he faced put the ball into play.

All of the sudden, the Mets' bullpen stirred. Then came the worst: deGrom never returned to the mound. 

The most frustrating part to the ace: He doesn't know what caused the soreness. 

“It was like, ‘Where did this come from?’ " deGrom said.   

Justin Toscano is the Mets beat writer for NorthJersey.com. Email: toscanoj@northjersey.com; Twitter: @justinctoscano