Reports emerged Wednesday that Houston Astros ace Justin Verlander is not a lock to be available for Opening Day. The soon-to-be 41-year-old told reporters Wednesday that he is “a couple of weeks behind” his traditional schedule due to lingering shoulder pain.
“I’m a little bit behind schedule right now,” Verlander said. “I had a little hiccup early on that’s resolved itself, but I have to be really cautious with how I’m building up. I guess my body doesn’t respond the same at 40 as it did at 25, so I’m a couple of weeks behind.”
Despite the setback, Verlander remained optimistic, indicating that it’s premature to worry about his availability for the Astros’ season opener in approximately six weeks — The Astros open their season on March 28 against the New York Yankees. Nevertheless, he acknowledged operating under a “tight timeline” and underscored the importance of rest in his regimen.
As a three-time Cy Young winner, Verlander will not be pressured to return before he is ready — and the franchise will certainly listen to its ace.
“I’ve always liked to give myself as much rest as possible, so my timeline is always a little tight,” he said. “I think that rest is important, so with the tight timeline and having to slow things down a little bit, put me a little behind.”
Astros’ general manager Dana Brown echoed Verlander’s sentiment, expressing confidence in the pitcher’s recovery and noting his intention to engage in catch practice on Wednesday.
“Some of these guys when they ramp up, they feel some soreness,” Brown said. “I think he’s going to be fine. I’m not concerned at all.”
Verlander revealed that he felt discomfort while playing catch in recent days. Approaching his 41st birthday, Verlander has dealt with injuries throughout his career — including last season. A muscle strain near his throwing shoulder sidelined him for the first five weeks of the 2023 season. Despite the setback, he managed to compile a 13-8 record with a 3.22 ERA across 27 starts split between the Astros and the New York Mets.
Regarding retirement, Verlander asserted that it’s not at the forefront of his mind and cited conversations with former teammate Kenny Rogers, who continued pitching until his early 40s.
“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.”
Verlander enters the season with a career record of 257-141 and 3,342 total strikeouts.
