Justin Verlander (42, San Francisco Giants), renowned for being a pitcher with no injuries, known as "the indestructible", has not avoided the injured list this year.
The U.S. 'NBC Sports Bay Area' reported on the 22nd (Korea time) that Verlander has been placed on the injured list due to chest muscle pain. He experienced pain during the game against the Athletics on the 19th and decided to take a brief break from the injured list.
Bob Melvin, manager of San Francisco, said in an interview after the game against the Kansas City Royals on the 22nd, "Verlander said he was okay, but he decided to skip his next start. If he skips the rotation a couple of times, he will be fine. There is no need to push it."
Melvin further noted, "Verlander himself was disappointed. He wants to pitch every time, but it’s wise to take a break for now," and regarding the replacement starter to fill Verlander's absence, he said, "I think we need to keep a close eye on it."
Verlander extended his career with a one-year, $15 million free agent contract with San Francisco in January. This season, he has recorded 3 losses and an earned run average of 4.33 in 10 games (52 innings), with 41 strikeouts. Despite achieving 4 quality starts, he has suffered from bad luck of not recording his first win of the season throughout the 10 games due to lack of offensive support and bullpen help.
As if that weren't enough, he has now encountered injuries. Verlander, known for his durability with 12 seasons of at least 200 innings pitched, including eight consecutive seasons, underwent his first Tommy John surgery on his elbow at the age of 37 in September 2020, missing the entire 2021 season. He experienced a resurgence by winning the Cy Young Award in his comeback season in 2022, but sustained a calf injury at the end of the season. Verlander has been on the injured list again this year due to DAEWON, and previously for shoulder and neck pain last year.
Born in 1983 and 42 years old, Verlander has not avoided the injured list this year either. In his most recent start against the Athletics on the 19th, his average velocity on four-seam fastballs was 91.3 mph (146.9 km), which was 2.6 mph (4.2 km) slower than his season average, showing signs of trouble. At that time, Verlander acknowledged he felt something was off but said it was not a major issue.
Verlander stated, "I thought I would be okay that day, but my velocity didn’t come up, and my control was shaky. I forced myself to pitch, but I can’t let it get worse. I think it would be better to recover thoroughly for 15 days."
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