Jacob deGrom leaves outing due to back tightness

Jacob deGrom was supposed to be getting closer to being ready for the start of the MLB season, but he may have had a setback on Tuesday.

deGrom only pitched one inning during an intrasquad game before leaving with back soreness.

Here was Jake's reaction after leaving the mound in today's sim game: pic.twitter.com/Lf0k3w880F

— SNY (@SNYtv) July 15, 2020

deGrom pitched three innings in his previous outing and likely would have been in line for more work Tuesday if not for his back.

The 32-year-old New York Mets ace has won the NL Cy Young Award and been named an All-Star two years in a row. He led the NL in strikeouts last year with 255 and led the NL with a 1.70 ERA in 2018.

deGrom was on schedule to start the Mets’ first game of the season, which is scheduled for July 24 against Atlanta.