deGrom remains optimistic despite injury

PORTST. LUCIE, Fla. – Jacob deGrom’s latest injury hasn’t changed his plans to opt out of his current contract after the season.

Speaking for the first time after learning he had a stress fracture in the scapula of his right shoulder, deGrom said he still plans to put the final two years and $68 million of his contract on the table. His goal is to negotiate a new long-term deal with the Mets after the season, although opting out of his current deal opens up the possibility of him ending up with another team.

Surpassing $68 million on the free market probably won’t be difficult for deGrom if he’s able to give a healthy four months of service after returning from the disabled list. But there are no guarantees of such a thing. deGrom said Sunday that he still hasn’t talked to trainers or team officials about how long it might take for him to return to action, beyond the first estimate of four weeks without shooting.

If he progresses normally, deGrom would rehab for a month if an MRI in four weeks shows no damage, allowing him to join the team in late May or early June.

“Once he gets through this he should be good to go,” deGrom said. “I felt good and suddenly this came out. But once we leave this situation behind, I will be ready.”

When deGrom initially felt the soreness in his shoulder while throwing flat-ground pitches last week, he assumed it was normal pain. Only after he told the trainers what was going on did he feel that something more serious might be going on.

“When they told me that, I was really shocked and really frustrated,” deGrom said. “But I guess I’m going to try to look at things from the positive side and that it’s structurally everything looks good. Once the bone heals I’ll be ready and hopefully stay healthy for the rest of the year.”