Astros ace Justin Verlander out indefinitely with forearm strain
Verlander #Verlander
What I’m Hearing: October baseball just went into overdrive . Bob Nightengale explains how the 16-team postseason will work for MLB. USA TODAY
In a major blow to the Houston Astros’ 2020 hopes, ace Justin Verlander has a forearm strain and will be shut down “for a couple of weeks,” according to manager Dusty Baker.
“He’s shut down for a couple of weeks and we’ll reevaluate at that time,” Baker said after Sunday’s game. “That’s all I can tell you.”
Baker said Verlander told the team his arm was “tender” during Friday’s st and that the 37-year-old right-hander had undergone an MRI on Saturday.
Verlander was expected to begin the season on the injured list back in March after having groin surgery and experiencing muscle soreness in the back of his shoulder. The delayed start to the regular season allowed him enough time to heal and take the mound for opening day.
“It’s not a pleasant situation to think about Verlander or think about how many young players we have in the bullpen and organization but we’ll go back to drawing board,” Baker said Sunday.
The report that I’m currently missing the rest of the season is not accurate. There is a forearm strain… I’m hopeful that with some rest it will heal and I’ll be able to return soon. Thank you for all the well wishes. 🙏🏻
— Justin Verlander (@JustinVerlander) July 26, 2020
Zack Greinke will assume the No. 1 spot in the rotation, with a combination of Lance McCullers, Josh James, Framber Valdez, Jose Urquidy and possibly top prospects Forrest Whitley and Bryan Abreu needing to shoulder a larger role.
Highest-paid MLB players in 2020
Posted!
T-1. Mike Trout, Angels, $36,000,000 (full season) Rick Scuteri, USA TODAY Sports
T-1. Gerrit Cole, Yankees, $36,000,000 John David Mercer, USA TODAY Sports
3. Stephen Strasburg, Nationals, $35,799,995 Tommy Gilligan, USA TODAY Sports
T-4. Nolan Arenado, Rockies, $35,000,000 Ron Chenoy, USA TODAY Sports
T-4. Max Scherzer, Nationals, $35,000,000 Rhona Wise, USA TODAY Sports
6. Justin Verlander, Astros, $33,000,000 Steve Mitchell, USA TODAY Sports
7. Zack Greinke, Astros, $32,000,000 Troy Taormina, USA TODAY Sports
T-8. Miguel Cabrera, Tigers, $30,000,000 Raj Mehta, USA TODAY Sports
T-8. Manny Machado, Padres, $30,000,000 Joe Camporeale, USA TODAY Sports
T-8. Chris Sale, Red Sox, $30,000,000 Bob DeChiara, USA TODAY Sports
11. Albert Belle, Angels, $29,000,000 Erik Williams, USA TODAY Sports
12. Mookie Betts, Dodgers, $27,000,000 Kirby Lee, USA TODAY Sports
T-13. Jose Altuve, Astros, $26,000,000 Troy Taormina, USA TODAY Sports
T-13. Bryce Harper, Phillies, $26,000,000 Jonathan Dyer, USA TODAY Sports
T-13. Giancarlo Stanton, Yankees, $26,000,000 Kim Klement, USA TODAY Sports
16. Anthony Rendon, Angels, $25,500,000 Rick Scuteri, Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports
T-17. Joey Votto, Reds, $25,000,000 Kareem Elgazzar, Imagn Content Services, LLC
T-17. Jordan Zimmermann, Tigers, $25,000,000 Kirthmon F. Dozier, Imagn Content Services, LLC
19. Robinson Cano, Mets, $24,000,000 Chris Pedota, NorthJersey.com
20. J.D. Martinez, Red Sox, $23,750,000 Douglas DeFelice, USA TODAY Sports
21. Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers, $23,333,333 Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY Sports
T-22. Chris Davis, Orioles, $23,000,000 Jim Rassol, USA TODAY Sports
T-22. Jacob deGrom, Mets, $23,000,000 Brad Penner, USA TODAY Sports
T-22. Masahiro Tanaka, Yankees, $23,000,000 Kim Klement, USA TODAY Sports
T-25. Yu Darvish, Cubs, $22,000,000 Mike Dinovo, USA TODAY Sports
T-25. Freddie Freeman, Braves, $22,000,000 Jason Getz, USA TODAY Sports
T-25. Paul Goldschmidt, Cardinals, $22,000,000 Jeff Curry, USA TODAY Sports
Interested in this topic? You may also want to view these photo galleries:
Replay
Autoplay
Show Thumbnails
Show Captions
Last SlideNext Slide