Detroit Tigers veteran pitcher Justin Verlander will have to wait longer before taking the mound at his home stadium again.
On Saturday, the Tigers moved the accomplished right-handed pitcher to the 15-day injured list due to inflammation in his left hip. The roster move takes effect retroactively from Wednesday.
The 43-year-old pitcher was scheduled to make his Sunday appearance at Detroit his first home game as a Tiger since the 2017 season.
To fill Verlander’s spot, the Tigers brought up right-handed pitcher Keider Montero from their Triple-A affiliate in Toledo. Verlander had rejoined Detroit in February after signing a one-year deal worth $13 million.
In his season opener, Verlander struggled against Arizona, giving up five runs and six hits, including a home run, during 3 2/3 innings in Detroit’s 9-6 defeat to the Diamondbacks.
Throughout his major league career, Verlander has compiled 266 wins against 159 losses with a 3.33 earned run average. He has recorded 3,554 strikeouts and issued 1,006 walks across 3,571 1/3 innings in 556 regular-season starts. His career has spanned multiple teams including Detroit (2005-17), Houston (2017-20, 2022, 2023-24), the New York Mets (2023), and San Francisco (2025). He sat out the entire 2021 campaign following Tommy John elbow surgery performed in September 2020.
The veteran pitcher earned American League Rookie of the Year recognition in 2006 and captured both MVP and Cy Young Award honors in 2011. He added two more Cy Young Awards while playing for Houston in 2019 and 2022.
Detroit originally drafted Verlander as the second overall selection in the 2004 MLB Draft from Old Dominion University.
Montero, age 25, recorded five wins and three losses with a 4.37 ERA across 20 games last season for Detroit, making 12 starts among those appearances.
