SURPRISE, Ariz. — Jacob deGrom threw his bullpen on schedule Saturday and his arm didn’t fall off, so the Rangers’ ace should make his first start of the spring Monday.
One catch: He might work in a B game or even on a back field instead of on center stage against Arizona.
The Rangers seem less concerned with the venue than the work he gets in. Manager Bruce Bochy said Friday that deGrom should pitch three outings before the season starts.
DeGrom has thrown five times this spring, most before taking a few days off after feeling tightness in his side. He looked dominant in a 35-pitch session Wednesday, when his fastball topped out at 100 mph.
Signings
On Saturday, the deadline for agreements with pre-arbitration players, the Rangers announced agreements with 23 of 24 unsigned players who had up to three years’ service time on the 40-man roster. Jonah Heim was the only renewal. The rest: Luisangel Acuna, Joe Barlow, Brock Burke, Dane Dunning, Ezequiel Duran, Adolis Garcia, Dustin Harris, Spencer Howard, Sam Huff, Josh Jung, Zak Kent, John King, Jonathan Ornelas, Glenn Otto, Yerry Rodriguez, Josh Sborz, Josh Smith, Leody Taveras, Bubba Thompson, Vanasco, White, Winn and Cole Ragans.
