Tigers starter Justin Verlander was working back from a hip injury and was close to returning, but then suffered a hamstring injury. The setback will cost him "weeks rather than days," according to manager A.J. Hinch (via MLB.com). The 43-year-old has made just one start this season, and that was all the way back on March 30, when he was roughed up for five runs on six hits in 3 ⅔ innings.
Given the age and all the mileage on that arm, we can probably do the math that the end is nigh. Father Time remains undefeated in sports. Even a talent like Verlander, who has staved off retirement so much longer than most players in the history of this game, it's an inevitability.
It sounds like Verlander is becoming aware of it, too, though he made sure to point out his commitment to the 2026 season.
"At this point, I'm in the middle of a season. You guys have known me long enough," he said (MLB.com). "There's no giving up. This is halfway through a season that I committed to the Tigers for. Nobody envisioned it going this way, but I also intend on trying to give it my everything until the season's over.
"Once that happens, I don't know, man. It's a different conversation now than it was last year when I seemed to be really healthy, a lot of thoughts that I'm going to have to take into consideration. My family is up here with me now. My son is turning one today, my daughter is seven. There's a lot of things that are also going on in my life that are a draw away from the game. 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."
It's too bad, but life happens to all of us. Verlander is an all-time great and will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. He was selected second overall in the 2004 MLB Draft out of Old Dominion and made good on his promise, making the majors on July 4, 2005. In parts of 21 seasons, he's 266-159 with a 3.33 ERA (128 ERA+), 1.14 WHIP and 3,554 strikeouts in 3,571 ⅓ innings in his regular-season career. We can also tack on his 38 playoff appearances in which he's 17-12 with a 3.58 ERA and 244 strikeouts in 226 innings. He's pitched in five World Series and won two rings.
He ranks 37th all-time in wins and is eighth in strikeouts despite sitting 66th in innings. Whenever he's able to return this season, he'll have a shot to move up to seventh in strikeouts, as he's only 20 back of Don Sutton. If that's the case, he would then trail only Nolan Ryan, Randy Johnson, Roger Clemens, Steve Carlton, Bert Blyleven and Tom Seaver. Illustrious company there for Verlander, no doubt. And all of them eventually ran out of gas and had to retire.
It sounds like it's coming sooner rather than later for Verlander, though he will not quit on this season and still wants to contribute on the field for the Tigers.
Add CBS Sports on Google Join the Conversation comments
