New York Mets right-hander and offseason acquisition Justin Verlander will be placed on the injured list with a pulled major muscle, the club announced Thursday.
Here’s the announcement:
The Mets currently don’t know how long Verlander will be sidelined or how many starts he will miss. That the injury has been classified as low grade is encouraging and a timetable will likely emerge after the new scan. Verlander was scheduled to start against the Marlins on Saturday. Fellow ace Max Scherzer starts for the Mets on Opening Day against Miami.
The Mets signed Verlander to a two-year, $86.67 million contract this past offseason to essentially replace outgoing ace Jacob deGrom, who signed with the Rangers. Verlander won his third career Cy Young award with the World Champion Astros last season. Going into his 40-year season, Verlander is just six wins short of a career 250.
The loss of Verlander is a blow to the Mets in the brutal NL East. Thanks to owner Steve Cohen’s heavy investment in payroll, the club is under pressure to fend off the Braves and Phillies in the division and push through to October. Verlander is an important part of those ambitions. The Mets had already lost a key member of the rotation, as José Quintana underwent rib surgery in the spring.