The Texas Rangers announced that Jacob deGrom has neck stiffness and won’t start Saturday against the Phillies, but he could start on the season-opening road trip.
PHILADELPHIA — Jacob deGrom has neck stiffness and won’t make his 2026 debut Saturday against the Phillies, the Texas Rangers announced about four hours before the right-hander was scheduled to take the mound.
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Left-hander Jacob Latz was picked to replace for deGrom, who had no health issues during spring training after starting 30 games in 2025. The Rangers said that deGrom was scratched out of an abundance of caution and said he could start one of the final four games of the season-opening road trip.
Temperatures were in the 30s throughout the morning at Citizen Bank Park, with wind chills in the 20s. The forecast high for Saturday was 46, right around first pitch, but the wind wasn’t expected to subside.
Latz should be stretched out enough to log up to five innings. He did not win the fifth spot in the rotation in spring training, losing out to Kumar Rocker. The Rangers also felt that Latz’s ability to pitch multiple innings out of the bullpen would serve them better early in the season than if he were a starter.
Latz didn’t have a great spring, posting an 8.04 ERA and 10 walks in 15 2/3 innings, and experienced a velocity dip during starts.
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The Rangers finish their series against the Phillies on Sunday before heading 60 minutes south for a three-game series at Baltimore. It’s unlikely that deGrom would pitch Sunday, and if he pitches against the Orioles, he would be unavailable Friday for the Rangers’ home opener.
Jeff Wilson, jwilson@alldlls.com