Justin Verlander, ace of the Houston Astros, will likely miss the rest of the season, according to a report by Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle. According to the report, the 37-year-old has a forearm strain that will force his absence. Verlander will be shut down for a couple of weeks at least. He will be reevaluated at that point. Manager Dusty Baker hasn’t completely ruled out the return of his ace, but it seems as if his season is over. Verlander tweeted that he doesn’t think he will miss the rest of the season. He is hopeful that with some rest, it will heal itself. In fact, Verlander strongly denied the report by the Houston Chronicle.
2019 Season
The reigning Cy Young Award winner finished 2019 with a 21-6 record. He led the league with 223 innings and was second in strikeouts with exactly 300. His 0.803 WHIP was the third-lowest in modern Major League history. The future Hall of Famer edged out teammate Gerrit Cole in a great Cy Young race.
2020 Season
In his Opening Day start, Justin Verlander picked up the win in an 8-2 victory. He went six innings, striking out seven, and allowed two runs via solo home runs. The ace was supposed to pitch on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The star-studded two-game set is a 2017 World Series rematch, and it will be down one megastar.
The Houston Astros have a number of mostly young options to turn to. Jose Urquidy has returned to the team, after missing all of summer camp. He has to build back up, but he potentially could take Verlander’s place. An intriguing option could be adding top prospect Forrest Whitley to the roster. Regardless of who replaces him, this is a huge blow for a team that is competing for a World Series championship.
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