Justin Verlander was in the midst of another gem Sunday against the Orioles, but he had to be pulled from the game early.
The Astros ace was removed after three innings. Seth Martinez came on to relieve. Verlander was dealing; he had allowed three hits and a walk and struck out six.
The two-time Cy Young winner is in the middle of another Cy Young-worthy season. He has pitched to an MLB-best 1.84 ERA in 149 innings. His 154 strikeouts are the 13th-most in baseball.
Here’s what we know about Verlander’s injury.
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Justin Verlander injury update
MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart reported that the team removed Verlander from the game because the ace was suffering right calf discomfort.
Justin Verlander left the game with right calf discomfort, the team said.
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) August 28, 2022
The Astros have been careful with Verlander this season. They recently pulled him from a no-hit bid after six innings and 91 pitches. He has only exceeded 100 pitches nine times in 2022.
Verlander is coming off Tommy John surgery , which he underwent in September 2020. He missed all of the 2021 season and returned to pitch on April 9, 2022.
While no injury is good, it is likely a relief to fans that it is not an arm injury for Verlander.
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When will Justin Verlander return?
There has been no timetable given for when Verlander will be back.
The Astros have an 11.5-game lead in the AL West and a greater than 99 percent chance of reaching the playoffs and winning the division, according to FiveThirtyEight. Given the importance of Verlander in the rotation, it would not be surprising to see them give him as much time as needed to make sure he is 100 percent ready to return.
Verlander’s injury comes just as Lance McCullers Jr. returned from the injured list to join Framber Valdez, Luis Garcia and Jose Urquidy in the rotation. Cristian Javier has been in the rotation for most of the season, but he had his scheduled start against Baltimore skipped, though he was available to pitch in the bullpen.
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