WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Houston Astros ace Justin Verlander will open the season on the injured list after dealing with right shoulder inflammation during the offseason.
Astros manager Joe Espada said Tuesday that Verlander, 41, hasn't suffered any setbacks but needs more time to be ready.
Editor's note: The above video originally aired in February.
“He’s doing very well, but we’re just running out of days here, and we won’t be able to build him up enough to start the season,” Espada told reporters. “It’s just a timing issue. We want to do what’s best for J.V. and our club, and this is what’s best for us right now.”
Verlander hasn't experienced any soreness in his shoulder after bullpen sessions, the manager said. He's expected to throw in the bullpen again on Friday but has yet to face hitters.
“We want to make sure to do it smart and not fast," Espada said. "We need him for the long haul. It’s a long season, and we need a healthy J.V. throughout the season.”
Verlander is expected to return early in the season. He called the injury “a little hiccup’’ in February but said he will be “really cautious on how I’m building up.’’
He said then that his "body doesn’t respond at 40 as it does at 25."
"I usually shut it down for a while,’’ Verlander said of his offseason. “This time when I shut it down and picked it back up, my shoulder didn’t feel so great. So I kind of had to take a step back in my build-up. I’ve always been somebody who luckily could just pick up a ball and start throwing it. It wasn’t quite as easy, so I’ve had to slow down a bit.“
Verlander signed an $86.7 million, two-year deal with the New York Mets ahead of the 2023 season but was traded back to Houston on Aug. 2. He helped the Astros win their sixth AL West crown in seven seasons before they lost to Texas in the AL Championship Series.
He won the 2022 AL Cy Young with Houston after missing 2021 due to Tommy John surgery.
Verlander says he hasn't contemplated retirement yet and spoke this season with former teammate Kenny Rogers, who pitched in the majors until he was 43.
“It’s not like I come into this season like I’m going to be 41 in four days and the clock’s ticking,’’ Verlander said in February. “I have the same process I’ve always had — head down, work hard, reset and come back next year and you keep doing that.
"I’ve talked to friends. I’ve talked to Kenny Rogers this offseason. He took me under his wing my rookie year. He made adjustments when he was in his 40s. One of the things he told me is you’ll just know. The game will tell you or you tell yourself. You’ll lose the fire. You’re not competitive. Neither one has happened yet, thank goodness. I’ll keep playing as long as I can.’’