Only hours before their second regular-season game against the Philadelphia Phillies, the Texas Rangers had to make an abrupt change. The Rangers are on a road trip for their season opener against the Phillies. The veteran starter, a former Cy Young award winner, scheduled to make his start on the second game of the road trip, is no longer available. The sudden development has come as a shock to the Rangers’ fandom.

Due to a stiffness in the neck, the Rangers’ ace Jacob deGrom was scratched from making his scheduled start on Saturday. The franchise is replacing one Jacob with another, as Jacob Latz will replace deGrom for the match. Underdog MLB reported the latest development about the Rangers’ starting rotation on X.

Jacob deGrom is under a five-year, $185 million contract with the Rangers and is signed through 2027. In 2025, his first full season after Tommy John surgery, deGrom went 12-8, posting a 2.97 ERA in 172.2 innings. However, this Spring he made only one start, it was three innings of scoreless pitching with five strikeouts.

Last season, deGrom pitched more than 100 innings for the first time since 2019, when he logged 204 innings.

According to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News on X, the Rangers don’t think deGrom’s injury is serious. He will reportedly be able to start at a later date. The Rangers would want deGrom healthy after their 81-81 record last season, as they aim to make it into the playoffs.

Following deGrom’s sudden setback, Jacob Latz got his chance to start for the Rangers. The Rangers did not initially include Latz in the starting rotation this season.

Latz spent most of the 2025 season in the bullpen, only making 8 starts. He posted a 2.84 ERA with 76 strikeouts across 85.2 innings in 33 games last season.

Latz will face Trea Turner and the team after the Rangers lost their Opening Day game 5-3. Aaron Nola will start for the Phillies.

The Rangers planned to start deGrom in their second game, so that he could open their home game on April 3. Texas will play the Cincinnati Reds for its first match in Arlington this season. However, how deGrom’s injury impacts the rest of the rotation is unclear at the moment. Whether deGrom will still be up for their home opener is also not known.

Though deGrom’s injury is unlikely to take a turn for the worse, as per reports, this sudden setback has left the fans worried.

Fans react to deGrom’s last-minute injury

In his tenure with the New York Mets, deGrom had become familiar with pitching against the Phillies. Getting deGrom to start Game 2 of the season would have been an advantage on the Rangers’ part, especially after their Game 1 loss.

“Are you f—ing serious?” wrote one fan, clearly expressing their displeasure at the news. While another appears to have lost their interest in the match itself as they commented, “Wish I would of knew that before picking my tickets.”

One fan speculated, “They already said he’ll be starting in 24-48 hours. Nothing to do with his neck. He woke up with that bubble gut.”

Apparently, the recovery time is not long enough for this fan to believe it’s a neck issue; rather, they believe it to be a stomach one. In 2025, deGrom failed to make a Cactus League start after he fell ill due to a stomach virus. His gut issues are not new, as his final start for the Mets in 2017 was cancelled due to a stomach ailment.

“Good news for Schwarber,” one user noted.

Indeed, deGrom has been very effective against the Phillies. He is 9-2 with an ERA of 2.55 and 151 strikeouts in 22 appearances against the Phillies in his career, as per Statmuse. As for Schwarber, he is 1-for-17 in 18 plate appearances with 8 strikeouts against deGrom.

Referencing his injury history, another user noted, “I love watching him pitch, but the dude is made of glass.” The RHP has an extensive injury history that involves his pitching arm, shoulder, and elbow. His first Rangers season ended early after he underwent the TJ surgery on his right elbow in 2023.

Before that, a stress reaction in his right shoulder during Spring Training delayed his season debut to August. In 2021, after missing starts due to shoulder soreness, he missed the entire season after suffering from forearm tightness. Even during the COVID-shortened season in 2020, deGrom dealt with minor neck and hamstring issues. His last healthy season was in 2019.

Above all, one fan lamented how one good pillow could have saved deGrom from all this: “F—k all that money and can’t afford good pillows.”

Despite the injury, the Rangers will need to shift their focus fully on the Phillies, and will also need Latz to step up.