Jacob deGrom will start today, Jose Reyes will be on the bench

If you’re looking for some good Mets news, the team’s lineup for this afternoon’s game against the Washington Nationals has some: Jacob deGrom is, indeed, making his start. He had originally been slated to start the series opener against Washington last night but was pushed back a day because of a stiff neck. And given the way things went the last time Mets fans heard about a stiff neck, it was fair for everyone to have some serious concern about him.

Through his first three starts of the season, deGrom has been nothing short of excellent. In 19.0 innings, he has a 1.89 ERA and 2.58 FIP, making him one of the best pitchers in baseball on the young season. He’s struck out a staggering 10.42 batters per nine innings and walked only 1.89.

On top of the good deGrom news, there’s good news in the infield, as Jose Reyes won’t be starting today. There’s nothing ailing him other than his game. He’s hit .097/.176/.129 this year with a -8 wRC+ and has not attempted a stolen base in the limited times that he has been on. Asdrubal Cabrera, who sat out last night because of a hamstring issue, is starting at shortstop, while T.J. Rivera gets another start at third base.