ST. LOUIS — Jacob deGrom has been cleared to begin strengthening his right shoulder, but his return to throwing won’t happen immediately.

The Mets released a statement after Monday’s 5-2 victory over the Cardinals that said the ace right-hander underwent an MRI exam and CT scan that revealed “considerable” healing of the stress reaction on his right scapula. The statement added that deGrom has been cleared to begin loading and strengthening of the shoulder and will be re-imaged in three weeks. “Loading” refers to building resistance in the shoulder.

In further clarifying the statement, the Mets indicated loading and strengthening happens before the throwing phase. No timeline has been established for when deGrom might begin throwing; it will be contingent upon his strength progression.

DeGrom last pitched in spring training, when he was shut down from throwing after two starts because of discomfort in his shoulder. An MRI exam revealed a stress reaction in the scapula.

The two-time Cy Young award winner last pitched in a regular-season game on July 7 of last season. At the time he was leading MLB with a 1.08 ERA over 15 starts. But deGrom returned from the All-Star break with forearm discomfort and dealt with elbow soreness as he attempted to return. Team president Sandy Alderson revealed in August that deGrom had a low-grade tear of the ulnar collateral ligament.

The Mets’ best-case scenario for deGrom this time was a late-May return, but it’s unclear if that is realistic given that he hasn’t been cleared to begin throwing yet. Once deGrom is cleared, he will have to begin building up in a spring training-like process that could take at least a month.

If there’s been a silver lining for the Mets, it’s been the emergence of Tylor Megill, who has moved into deGrom’s rotation spot and pitched to a 2.35 ERA in four starts. The Mets have also received a boost from David Peterson, who filled two starts with Taijuan Walker on the injured list.

Once he returns, deGrom will be pitching for a new contract. The right-hander indicated at the start of spring training he intends to opt out from his contract after the season, and that stance remained the same after the stress reaction diagnosis.