Prior to the team’s Opening Day game against the Marlins on Thursday, the Mets announced that prized free agent acquisition Justin Verlander would be placed on the 15-day injured list with a low grade teres major strain.
The Mets said that Verlander will continue throwing at “moderate intensity” and would be rescanned in a week in order for the team to provide an updated timetable for his return.
Verlander’s velocity was down in his last spring training start, which the 40-year-old pitcher attributed to “routine spring discomfort.”
Verlander is the second key injury to the Mets’ rotation, joining José Quintana on the injured list. Verlander is not expected to miss a significant amount of time, but Quintana could miss up to half the season after having a bone graft procedure to remove a lesion from his ribcage.
As for Verlander, he signed a two-year, $86.66 million contract this offseason heading into his age 40 season with the Mets. Fresh off winning a World Series title with the Astros and capturing the American League Cy Young with a 1.75 ERA a year ago, Verlander proved that he still has plenty left in the tank.
He’s expected to serve as the team’s No. 2 starter alongside team ace Max Scherzer to provide the Mets with a proverbial one-two punch at the top of the rotation.
