Texas Rangers fans distressed as Jacob deGrom escorted off field by trainer in midst of pitching a shutout: "Was only a matter of time" 

Texas Rangers staff ace Jacob deGrom left the field and was escorted by a trainer with two outs in the fourth inning of Friday night's game against the New York Yankees. No word on a possible injury was immediately announced.

The 34-year-old deGrom, making his sixth start of the year for the Rangers, cruised through three innings but began to look uncomfortable on the mound in the fourth.

He got the first two outs of the frame and got the first two strikes on Yankees outfielder Willie Calhoun before allowing a single. After Calhoun reached first base, deGrom looked to the Rangers' dugout with a look of stoic concern.

At that point, Rangers manager Bruce Bochy and pitching coach Mike Maddux went to the mound, accompanied by the team trainer. After a brief conversation, deGrom left the field and disappeared into the dugout flanked by the trainer.

It was the second time in 11 days that Jacob deGrom was removed from a game. On April 17, he left the game against the Kansas City Royals after tossing four no-hit innings. He complained of wrist soreness at the time, but still returned to pitch six innings in a win over the Oakland Athletics six days later.

The 10-year MLB veteran signed a five-year, $185 million contract with the Rangers after nine years with the New York Mets. His tenure in Gotham had become as much about how often he was hurt rather than how tremendous he was when healthy.

Given that Jacob deGrom had started only 38 games over his last three seasons with the team, the Mets decided to sign Justin Verlander to a two-year, $86.86 million contract last winter, rather than commit to five years of a seemingly too-fragile deGrom.

As the Mets passed on deGrom, the Texas Rangers eagerly signed him to a bank-busting deal.

It's been nearly three months since deGrom missed out on his first scheduled start of Spring Training start with the Texas Rangers after experiencing tightness in his side. Fears of that being a recurring injury dilemma have faded since.

However, given that deGrom only averaged 12 starts per season due to the plethora of injuries over the last three years in New York, the medical specter continues to hang over him like a dark cloud.

Of course, there may be a different reason altogether for Jacob deGrom's departure. With the Texas Rangers having lost four in a row, are they already bowing out of the pennant chase and trading the ace? Probably not.

Texas Rangers made a big gamble on Jacob deGrom

Jacob deGrom #48 in his days with the New York Mets

Jacob deGrom's nine years with the Mets included countless superb outings, but his win-loss record never seemed to match the numbers he put up while on the mound. With New York, he went 82-57 with a 2.55 ERA, 0.998 WHIP, and 1,614 strikeouts.