due dates

There is a good chance that Mets pitcher Jacob DeGrom will miss a start in April, for the birth of his first child. And good for him. He will have the opportunity to pitch 30 more times for the defending National League champions. But he will only have one opportunity to see that child being born. Those first moments are when a dad gets the opportunity to first bond with his child. 

No doubt the radio airwaves will be a flutter about if he should or shouldn't be there or take time off. Mets manager Terry Collins will be inundated with questions about moving around the rotation. Honestly its none of our business if he wants to spend that time with his new family. There is something special about that moment driving your first child home from the hospital. That slow careful drive. And bringing them into your home, when for the first time its you, your wife and the baby. That is when its really real. So Jacob if you need to miss two starts that is cool with me. Being a starting pitcher for the Mets is now your second most important job.

The paternity leave list may be used when a player finds it necessary to leave the team to attend the birth of his child. A player placed on the paternity leave list must miss the next team game, but no more than three games. The team can use another player from its 40-man roster to replace a player on the paternity leave list. This list was adopted beginning with the 2011 season.