SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Two-time Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom was held out of the first spring training workout for the Texas Rangers on Wednesday because their top free-agent acquisition felt some tightness in his left side.
Each of deGrom's past two seasons with the New York Mets were shortened substantially by injuries, but Rangers general manager Chris Young insisted the decision to hold out deGrom was precautionary. It was an unusually chilly day in Arizona and some fields were slick from overnight rain.
"It's as much about it being Day 1 of spring training as anything," Young said.