According to reports, Houston Astros pitcher Justin Verlander is being shut down with a “mild lat strain” and it is unlikely that he will be ready to go for Opening Day 2020.
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When asked about the injury, Verlander said it would probably take a miracle for him to be back in time for the start of the season.
“I would say it would probably take a miracle to be back by Opening Day,” Verlander said. “But I don’t want to leave miracles off the table.”
“I would say it would probably take a miracle to be back by Opening Day,” Justin Verlander said. “But I don’t want to leave miracles off the table.”
Houston's ace is dealing with a "mild lat strain" and the Astros really need their big righty healthy.https://t.co/Th0ElvZkKU pic.twitter.com/PPfeberckT
— Ryan Fagan (@ryanfagan) March 9, 2020
The injury is similar to what Verlander dealt with prior to the 2015 season with while he was pitching for the Detroit Tigers.
“A lot of similarities,” said Verlander Monday after it was revealed that he has a mild lat strain on his right side. “It happened in spring training, but I don’t know how to compare it. I know I feel better than I did then.”
“Lats can be very difficult,” he said. “Talking with the doctors and looking at the scans, it’s definitely not the worst-case scenario. But the best-case scenario would be nothing. This is somewhere in the middle of that.
“I don’t think any injury can be considered positive. You get a bunch of things running through your head, having dealt with it before and having it be more serious than it was, it was positive to hear that it’s not quite as bad.”
–Quotes via Chris McCosky, The Detroit News– LINK