Justin Verlander’s anticipated return to the Detroit Tigers mound has been pushed back significantly after the veteran right-hander strained his left hamstring during a bullpen workout in Houston on Wednesday.
The 43-year-old had already been sidelined on the 15-day injured list since April 4 with left hip inflammation after making just one appearance this season. He had been moved to the 60-day IL and was on the verge of being activated when the new injury struck during a scheduled throwing session.
Tigers manager A.J. Hinch had been planning to send Verlander — who carries a 0-1 record and 12.27 ERA — to the mound against the Chicago White Sox on Sunday. That start would have been his first in Detroit since August 20, 2017. Instead, Hinch told reporters the timeline has been pushed back considerably.
“This is not a matter of days,” Hinch said Friday. “It’s a matter of weeks. We’re going to need a full rehab process to get him back to throwing again. Obviously, frustrating news for him and for us, given the excitement that was building around his start on Sunday.”
Verlander, who holds the distinction of being the oldest active player in the major leagues, acknowledged the situation is deeply discouraging.
“My hip actually feels fairly good,” Verlander said Friday. “All of a sudden, my hamstring was bugging me and I had to cut my bullpen short. Any time I’m not able to get my work in, it means something’s definitely off, so we decided to get it looked at, and there’s a strain.”
“Just really unfortunate, man. It just sucks. I don’t know how else to say it.”
The decorated pitcher — a nine-time All-Star, two-time World Series champion, and 2011 American League MVP — has built a career record of 266 wins, 159 losses, a 3.33 ERA, and 3,554 strikeouts across 556 starts with four teams dating back to 2005.
Despite the setback, Verlander tried to find a silver lining. “Glass half full, I get back to throwing and this thing heals up, and it’s like, ‘Oh, wow, this was something that also was kind of lingering, and now I’m better than I was before,’” he said. “But it still doesn’t take the sting away from being tantalizingly close to finally being back on the mound here at home and having it pulled out from under me.”
Verlander signed a one-year, $13 million deal to come back to Detroit, the city where he played from 2005 before being traded to the Houston Astros at the 2017 trade deadline. Though the season has not gone as hoped, he said his goal remains to “give everything until the season’s over.”
After the season concludes, Verlander said he will weigh his future carefully, taking into account both his health and personal life.
“There’s a lot of things that are also going on in my life that are a draw away from the game,” Verlander said. “But I’ve always said I want to play until the wheels fall off. I don’t know, maybe they are falling off. I hope not.”
