Justin Verlander sounded uncertain about whether he’ll pitch again after the Tigers scratched him from his Sunday start against the White Sox with a strained left hamstring. The 43-year-old said the issue surfaced during a Wednesday bullpen session, derailing
DETROIT — Justin Verlander stood in front of his locker Friday, asked about what comes next, and the answer came with a laugh that didn’t quite land.
“I’ve always said I want to play till the wheels fall off,” he said. “I don’t know, maybe they are falling off.” He chuckled, then added, “I hope not,” but the uncertainty lingered in the 43-year-old’s voice as he talked about recovering again — this time from a strained left hamstring.
Verlander was scratched from his scheduled start Sunday against the White Sox because of the injury. It’s the latest setback in a season that has already been shaped by another problem: inflammation in his left hip. which has limited him to one start this season. Verlander said the hamstring issue first surfaced during a bullpen session Wednesday.
“My hip actually feels fairly good,” he said. “All the sudden, my hamstring was bugging me. Had to cut my bullpen short. We decided to get it looked at, and there’s a strain. It’s just really unfortunate, man. It sucks.”
He didn’t try to make it sound simple. Verlander talked about how he evaluates himself, including his own tendency to be hard on his performance and his readiness.
“One thing I’ve been in my career is pretty objective when analyzing myself. I critique myself harder than anybody. I think I handle this no differently,” he said. “If I continue to prove that I can’t be healthy. that’s something that I have to really evaluate that I really haven’t yet. This is uncharted territory for me, and it sucks. But I think first and foremost right now. it’s head down. work hard. get past this. try to get back out there for the Detroit Tigers and myself. See what I can do.”.
Even as the injury clouded the immediate outlook, Verlander said he still intends to pitch this season.
“I’m in the middle of a season; there’s no giving up,” he said. “This is halfway through a season I’ve committed to the Tigers for, and nobody envisioned it going this way. But I also intend on trying to give it my everything till the season’s over. Once that happens, I don’t know. A lot of thoughts that I’m going to have to take into consideration.”.
After years of figuring out how to work through aches and setbacks, Verlander also pointed to what sits outside the ballpark when his body doesn’t cooperate — family milestones that keep ticking forward.
“My family’s up here with me now. My son’s turning 1 today. My daughter’s 7. I went to a play of hers. There’s a lot of things that are also going on in my life that are a draw away from the game.”
In Verlander’s 21st major-league season, he has already done nearly everything a pitcher can do. He has two World Series titles, both with the Astros; three Cy Young Awards; and one MVP. He has thrown three no-hitters and recorded 3,554 strikeouts. Still. the current stretch has brought a different question to the forefront: whether his body can keep up with the demands of a season that was supposed to look different.
“He has every intention of pitching again this season,” he said, even as he acknowledged the uncertainty hanging over what comes after the current fight to get healthy.
Justin Verlander Detroit Tigers White Sox hamstring strain left hip inflammation MLB injuries comeback season outlook Hall of Fame