Jacob deGrom dialing it back in hopes of staying healthy this time

Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees.The Jacob deGrom the Yankees see on Wednesday will not be the same Jacob deGrom who dominated to virtually unparalleled levels across town.The former Mets ace is dialing it back.

One of the most gifted pitchers in baseball history is no longer pushing his gifts to the limit.Having snapped too many times, he has sought an excellence that can be sustained.“Looking at what’s probably best for me and staying out there,” deGrom said before the Yankees’ 5-2 series-opening win over the Rangers in The Bronx, “is try to pitch a little bit smarter.”That has meant throwing more changeups and curveballs, no longer maximizing his filthy fastball-slider combination.

And critically that has meant attempting to beat teams without breaking himself or radar guns.In his most overpowering seasons with the Mets — which rank as some of the most overpowering seasons for any pitcher of all time — he reached back repeatedly.His four-seamer climbed to heights more reserved for one-inning relievers, his fastball averaging 99.2 mph in an absurd 2021 season that ended with a 1.08 ERA.That year also ended after just 15 starts because of a forearm strain and UCL inflammation.

His next season, the last one with the Mets, did not begin until August because of a stress fracture in his right scapula.When he returned, he looked like himself with a fastball that averaged 98.9 mph.The Rangers, so entranced by his pure stuff, successfully recruited him with $185 million over five years despite the fact he had made 26 starts total in his previous two seasons.

He started six games with Texas in 2023 — averaging 98.7 mph with his fastball — before blowing out his elbow and requiring a second Tommy John surgery.He has successfully returned and intentionally not brought back his fastest fastball.A more thoughtful and less forceful deGrom has ave...