DETROIT – Justin Verlander was on the verge of returning to the mound when another injury halted his comeback.
The 43-year-old Detroit Tigers right-hander said Friday (June 19) that a left hamstring strain sustained during a bullpen session in Houston this week has delayed his anticipated return and added another frustrating chapter to an already lengthy recovery.
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“Just really unfortunate, man. Just sucks,” Verlander said. “I don’t know what else to say.”
Verlander had been scheduled to start Sunday at Comerica Park before feeling discomfort during a bullpen session on Wednesday.
The injury is separate from the left hip issue that has sidelined him for much of the season.
“My hip actually feels fairly good,” Verlander said. “All of a sudden, my hamstring was bugging me, and I had to cut my bullpen short.”
The veteran pitcher said he immediately knew something was wrong when he could not complete his normal work.
“Anytime I’m not able to get my work in, it means something’s definitely off,” Verlander said.
Glass half full
While disappointed by the setback, Verlander said he is trying to remain optimistic that the hamstring issue may have been contributing to some of the mechanical problems he experienced during his recovery.
“Maybe this was something that was holding me back,” Verlander said. “Glass half full, I get back to throwing, and this thing heals up, and it’s like, ‘Oh wow, this was something that was also kind of lingering, and now I’m better than I was before.’”
Still, the injury stings given how close he was to returning.
“It doesn’t take the sting away from being tantalizingly close to finally being back on the mound here at home and having it kind of pulled out from under me,” Verlander said.
Unfamiliar territory
The latest setback marks unfamiliar territory for one of baseball’s most accomplished pitchers.
Verlander said he has never experienced consecutive injuries like this during his career.
“This whole process has been agonizingly long for me,” Verlander said. “We were two-plus months later and that close to getting back out there, and then something else happens.”
Despite the disappointment, Verlander said he remains focused on finishing the season strong rather than dwelling on what has gone wrong.
“As a professional athlete, 43 years old, you kind of just take things as they come,” Verlander said. “It does no good for anybody to sit here and dwell on it.”
Contemplating the future
Verlander also addressed questions about his future in baseball, acknowledging that repeated injuries have forced him to consider possibilities he had not seriously contemplated before.
The three-time Cy Young Award winner and former American League MVP has long maintained that he wanted to continue pitching as long as possible.
“I’ve always said that I want to play till the wheels fall off,” Verlander said. “And I don’t know, maybe they are falling off. I hope not.”
The future Hall of Famer said family considerations are becoming a larger part of the equation.
His wife and children are with him in Detroit, and he noted that his son recently turned one while his daughter is now seven.
“There’s a lot of things that are also going on in my life that are a draw away from the game,” Verlander said.
Still, retirement is not a consideration during the season.
“I’m in the middle of a season,” Verlander said. “There’s no giving up. This is halfway through a season that I committed to the Tigers for, and I intend on trying to give it my everything until the season’s over.”
Verlander said he plans to evaluate his future honestly at the end of the year, particularly if health issues persist.
“If I can’t be healthy and I continue to prove that I can’t be healthy, that’s something that I have to really evaluate,” Verlander said.
For now, his focus remains on rehabilitation and finding a way back to the mound.
“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,” Verlander said. “And see what I can do.”