Houston Astros to Activate Ace Justin Verlander Off Injured List to Make Debut Friday
Justin Verlander has yet to pitch at the MLB level in 2024 due to a shoulder injury, but Houston Astros manager Joe Espada said he will start Friday against the Washington Nationals.
The Houston Astros will activate starting pitcher Justin Verlander from the 15-day injured list on Friday, manager Joe Espada told reporters Wednesday.
Verlander, who has been dealing with a shoulder injury since the offseason, has yet to appear at the MLB level in 2024. He is slated to make his season debut on the road against the Washington Nationals on Friday.
The 41-year-old right-hander did not make any appearances in the Grapefruit League down at Spring Training, although he has been throwing bullpen sessions and doing mound work since mid-February. He threw a 52-pitch simulated game on April 1, just before heading to Triple-A Sugar Land for a rehab assignment.
Neither of Verlander's minor league warmup starts were particularly impressive, considering he allowed 11 earned runs and 13 total runs in 7.0 innings of work between them. Still, the Astros are keeping Verlander on track and reinstating him as planned.
Verlander is still less than two years removed from winning his third AL Cy Young Award and his second World Series ring. Then, in 27 starts last season with the Astros and New York Mets, Verlander went 13-8 with a 3.22 ERA, 1.133 WHIP, 144 strikeouts and a 3.5 WAR.
The veteran was able to do so after making just one start in 2020 and missing all of 2021 due to Tommy John surgery, which isn't all too shocking given his resume.
For his career, Verlander is 257-141 with a 3.24 ERA, 1.118 WHIP, 3,342 strikeouts and an 80.9 WAR. He will be a sure-fire Hall of Famer when he eventually calls it quits, whenever that may be.
Verlander is on the books for $43.3 million this season, tied for the highest salary in baseball, although the Mets are paying for a good chunk of it. Verlander will be due another $35 million in 2025 if he tosses 140.0 innings this year, with half of that being covered by New York.
The Astros will wrap up their three-game set with the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday before taking Thursday off and then handing things over to Verlander on Friday. First pitch for the series opener against the Nationals is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. ET.
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