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Texas Rangers right-hander Jacob deGrom is slated to begin a rehab assignment this week as he takes the next step toward his return to a big-league mound. deGrom, 36, has not appeared in an MLB contest since April 2023 after tearing his ulnar collateral ligament and requiring Tommy John surgery. Teams tend to give their pitchers about 14 months to recover from that procedure -- deGrom cleared that mark on Sunday.

"My arm feels great except now it's just been, what, how many months? Fourteen?" deGrom told reporters after facing live batters on Saturday. "You've got your [teammates] in there. You go face other guys, and I think that'll help a little bit."

It's unclear how many starts deGrom will need before he rejoins the Rangers rotation. MLB rules stipulate that pitchers can go on a rehab assignment for as long as 30 days. As such, deGrom will have roughly four weeks from the start of his assignment before he must be activated -- that means he ought to return sometime in mid-September, at latest, putting him in position to close out the year with a few starts at the highest level.

deGrom, a two-time Cy Young Award recipient and a four-time All-Star honoree, signed a five-year pact with the Rangers worth $185 million prior to the 2023 season. In six starts with Texas, he compiled a 2.67 ERA (161 ERA+) and an 11.25 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 30 innings.

The Rangers, the defending World Series champions, are highly unlikely to return to the postseason. Indeed, they enter Sunday with a 56-68 record, putting them more than 10 games back in both the American League West and wild-card races. Still, deGrom's expected return should bode well for their chances of returning to a competitive state ahead of the 2025 regular season.