The New York Mets were supposed to have one of the more dominant starting staffs in all of baseball, but over the course of the season pitchers began dropping one by one. Now, Jacob deGrom is the latest casualty and will likely miss the rest of the season, including any potential postseason games, with an ulnar nerve issue. Sandy Alderson, the Mets general manager, said on Saturday that deGrom had been scratched from his next start because the ulnar nerve in his throwing elbow had not responded the way the team and pitcher had hoped and was likely done for the season.

The Mets started the day holding on to a two-game lead for the second Wild Card slot ahead of the Cardinals. They will be trying to do it with just two hurlers left from the starting five on Opening Day, Noah Syndergaard and 43-year old Bartolo Colon. Three pitchers – Matt Harvey, Steven Matz and deGrom – have landed on the disabled list and have not appeared in a game since. Zack Wheeler was supposed to be back by July after Tommy John surgery pushing Colon to the bullpen. However, even he has had setback after setback and he will not be available this season either. New York has been plugging in anyone who is healthy and lately Seth Lugo, Rafael Montero, Robert Gsellman and Logan Verrett have been asked to carry the load. There is an outside chance that Matz could make it back if the Mets make it to the playoffs. The larger question would be, how effective can he be after a lengthy absence?

DeGrom, despite much debate, has established himself as the Mets ace. Despite the lopsided record mainly caused by an early lack of run support, deGrom has proven that he has the talent to lead the team. However, this injury is a huge blow to the Mets, perhaps an even bigger blow than losing Harvey, Matz. and Wheeler. DeGrom was the Mets catalyst last season, especially in the playoffs. DeGrom started the first game and the deciding fifth game of the 2015 NLDS against the Dodgers, and pitched brilliantly in both games. This season, the injury has caused deGrom to show signs of inconsistency, and missing the rest of the season will definitely hurt morale for this Mets team. There is a chance that this injury may cost the Mets in the playoffs. Although the Mets do have two starters from last year's playoff team, they also have three starters in Gsellman, Ynoa, and Lugo that were not on the team and do not have the experience. The positive side of deGrom's injury is that he is expected to make a speedy recovery and be ready for the start of next season. With that said, the Mets may finally have their long-awaited dream rotation. We will see how the Mets will fare without their big names going into this upcoming postseason.