DeGrom’s starts begin with forearm tension.

ARLINGTON — For the second time in three starts, the Rangers ace jacob degrom abandoned in the middle of a start due to injury issues.

during friday 5-2 win on the Yankees, deGrom left in the fourth inning due to what the club announced after the game as a right forearm strain.

“It’s just a precaution,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said, “so we took him out. You know, a couple of starts ago, it felt a little (out of place), so that’s what we decided to do, just be a little cautious here. We’ll evaluate him tomorrow and see how he feels, so I’ll have a better answer tomorrow.”

deGrom was dealing with three perfect innings before hitting a pothole in the fourth. His final pitch of the night was an 89 mph slider, which Willie Calhoun drove to left field for the Yankees’ first hit of the game. It was deGrom’s slowest slider of the night.

Coach Jacob Newburn, pitching coach Mike Maddux and manager Bruce Bochy met on the mound after deGrom allowed that two-out hit. He left the field a few minutes later, replaced by Dane Dunning.

“He was pitching very well, wasn’t he?” Bochi said. “He was the Jacob we know. But he just started to toughen up a little bit there, so we’re being cautious. We will see what happens tomorrow and we will see how he feels about him and, of course, we will evaluate him ”.

deGrom threw 28 pitches (20 strikes) in the first three innings. In the fourth, he threw 22 pitches (12 strikes) and walked and hit before exiting the game. Despite the injury, he looked like himself throughout the outing, with his fastball ranked in the upper 90s and touching 100-plus mph several times.

His penultimate pitch was the slowest four seam of the night, at 96.6 mph.

deGrom left its start on April 17 against the Royals due to a sore right wrist, but returned for his next scheduled outing against the A’s on April 23.

The Rangers were well aware of deGrom’s injury history before accepting a five-year, $185 million contract in December. The right-hander, a two-time National League Cy Young Award winner and a four-time All-Star with the Mets, hasn’t made more than 15 starts in a season since 2019.

In 2020, deGrom missed time with minor back and arm problems, and elbow inflammation knocked him out for the entire second half of the 2021 season. A stress reaction in his right shoulder blade sidelined him in ’22. .

But it was a risk the Rangers were willing to take, because when deGrom has pitched, he’s been brilliant. In 30 1/3 innings this season, he posted a 2.67 ERA and 45 strikeouts. Texas is undefeated in his six starts.

deGrom hasn’t missed a start yet, despite twice starting early. The Rangers have been wary of his ace during his short time in Texas, but the next few days will be a waiting game as staff continue to assess his health.