Things just can’t seem to go right for Justin Verlander this season.
Verlander, 43, strained his left hamstring during a bullpen session on Wednesday, an injury that will likely cause him to miss “weeks,” Tigers skipper A.J. Hinch said, according to The Athletic.
The nine-time All-Star has been on the injured list since April with left hip inflammation, and was set to make his first start back on Sunday before his most recent injury.
“This is not a matter of days,” Hinch said. “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 told reporters that his hip is starting to feel good, and called his strained hamstring “unfortunate.”
“My hip actually feels fairly good,” Verlander told reporters, according to MLB.com. “All of a sudden, my hamstring was bugging me and I had to cut my bullpen short. Anytime 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.”
In his only start this season, Verlander gave up five earned runs and walked two batters in 3⅔ innings pitched.
Verlander, who is currently the oldest active MLB player, signed a one-year, $13 million deal to return to Detroit, which drafted him with the No. 2 pick in 2004.
After being called up in 2005, Verlander spent 13 years with the Tigers, earning both a Cy Young and MVP award for his stellar 2011 season, which saw him win the pitching Triple Crown.
Verlander was then traded to the Astros midway through the 2017 season, where he won two more Cy Young awards in 2019 and 2022.
Ahead of the 2023 season, Verlander signed a historic two-year, $86.6 million contract with the Mets but made just 16 starts for the Amazin’s before being dealt back to Houston.