Jacob deGrom threw just over 20 pitches on Thursday morning, about a week after suffering tightness in his left side.

"It's a small step," he said later, "but a step in the right direction."

The Texas Rangers signed deGrom, 34, to a five-year, $185 million contract this offseason. He won back-to-back Cy Young awards with the New York Mets in 2018 and 2019, but has thrown just 156 1/3 innings over the past two seasons.

deGrom missed the second half of the 2021 season with inflammation in his right elbow, then missed the first four months of the 2022 season with a stress reaction in his right scapula.