According to Adam Rubin of ESPN New York, Jacob deGrom has probably thrown his last pitch in 2013. He last appeared in a game on August 28th against Colorado Springs, throwing just two innings before he was taken out as a precaution due to shoulder stiffness.

DeGrom ended up pitching in three different levels of the minor leagues this season (St. Lucie, Binghamton, Las Vegas). The right-hander put together a combined record of 7-7, 4.51 ERA, 46 walks, and 120 strikeouts in 147.2 innings of work.

While I’m sure Wally Backman would have liked to use him instead of Carlos Alvarado, but it’s better to be safe than sorry with deGrom. He was already close to an innings limit, so there wouldn’t have been much more work to squeeze out of him this season, anyway.

A product of Stetson University, deGrom has only been pitching since his junior year of college. Now at the age of 25, he’s on the brink of getting his shot in the majors come spring training in 2014. If Matt Harvey opts for Tommy John surgery and misses all of next season, it will likely be between deGrom and Rafael Montero to take one of the rotation spots, with Alderson looking to bring a veteran arm in via free agency.

He took plenty of steps forward this season, and his performance in Triple-A definitely turned some heads at the top of the organization. All of us at Mets Minors wish Jacob a healthy winter; we’re looking forward to seeing him in big league camp in February!