March 9: Verlander underwent an MRI to evaluate the issue, tweets Chris McCosky of the Detroit News, but the Astros have yet to receive the results.
March 8, 2:50pm: Dusty Baker shed some light on Verlander’s exit, saying he experienced right triceps soreness, per McTaggart. His removal was precautionary.
2:06pm: Justin Verlander exited his spring start two innings early today, per MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart. He threw two scoreless innings, but left to undergo medical testing.
It’s unclear at this time what particular issue Verlander is dealing with, though he’s been plagued with a strained right groin throughout spring training. Neither Verlander nor the Astros gave any indication as to the severity of Verlander’s discomfort. Presumably, an update will be provided shortly.
Among the many issues that could derail the Astros 2020 season, any hiccups at the top of the rotation might be the most worrying. With a host of less-established candidates filling the void at the back end of the rotation, Verlander and co-ace Zack Greinke are the only guaranteed quality starters currently employed in Houston. Lance McCullers Jr. slots in as the number three, but the native Floridian is coming off a lost 2019, and he’s never made more than 22 starts in a season.
Verlander’s injury may turn out to be nothing, but this is the risk in pinning rotation stability on a 37-year-old Verlander and 36-year-old Greinke. Granted, Verlander and Greinke show no signs of slowing down after combining for 13.3 pitching bWAR in 2019, and given the amount of adversity sure to confront the 2020 Astros, a healthy Verlander and Greinke still provide the surest chance to rise above.
cards04
Karma
CrookedAsstros
It’s a real b*tch lol
fox471 Dave
Come on!
oldoak33
Please explain how this has anything to do with karma
clepto
There is no explanation Oak, except Cards04 is a complete and total loser in life, and likes to make stupid comments with 10% of the real facts, and low enough IQ that he thinks people really value what he says.
wordonthestreet
Tell us what you really think of Cards04. Lol.
madmanTX
Well, bang my trash can!
cards04
How this not karma dumb @ss?
vtadave
You don’t seem overly bright.
oldoak33
Well, Cards04
Since 2017, Verlander signed a large extension and won a Cy Young. So if you think a triceps strain negatively exceeds signing for $66MM and winning a Cy Young, you’re just a f^(kin nitwit, and a first rate tw@+.
Lester1255
Why did it take 3 years for karma to show up?
clepto
Ooh, got smoked eh Cards04? Feel the burn, loser.
Salty_rox_fan
Clepto, slowly read that last sentence you wrote after the first comma. Then learn how to use commas.
hiflew
Because he is an Astros PITCHER and not an Astros hitter. It is only karma if it happened to Altuve or Correa instead of a guy that just happens to wear the same uniform.
Col. Taylor
in all fairness, Karma IS very busy.
Salty_rox_fan
Pretty sure it’s more because it’s the Astros with the whole cheating scandal.
clepto
Salty, you idiot, i know exactly what he was implying….and obviously, you play with half a deck cards too.
imindless
Don’t mind @clepto he is just salty that half his team in on dl for half the year.
arc89
He might man karma for the entire team. After how the Astros act like they did nothing wrong sometimes karma brings a person back to earth.
Rudy Zolteck
I mean, was Severino’s arm exploding also karma? Beede? Carasiti? Festa? Injuries just happen. He’s also in his late 30s so there’s ofc going to be wear.
jonesadoug
that’s what I was going to say but you beat me to it.
dennis63480
Is it karma or Kate Upton?
DarkSide830
[hackneyed trash can joke]
Batman69
It’s still funny. And we’re still going to laugh at your joke of a team.
SalaryCapMyth
I don’t think Darkside is an Astros fan. You know it could be he’s just tired of the jokes. The Astros will have repricutions for a long time to come. Maybe like Darkside I myself wouldn’t mind being able to just talk baseball but with the Astros it’s difficult.
wiggysf
I agree with SalaryCapMyth. I have no love for the Astros after this offseason but the jokes are getting a bit exhausting and I think that’s probably what DarkSide is saying.
Halo11Fan
wiggy.
The only people holding the Astros accountable are the fans.
It’s up to the fans to call out cheaters. I wish there was more of it.
I hope this doesn’t die for a long time.
Big Hurt
That sounds like a ton of fun! Are talking about people at the games, heckling? Or on MlbTR boards? Either way – I’m happy for that to die soon.
bobby clementhay
Halo11Fan, speaking of dying, when are the results of the investigation into the drug overdose death of Tyler Skaggs going to be released? According to Eric Kay, perhaps one quarter of the active Angels roster was using opiates. Perhaps it is the Angels who should be held “accountable” by their fans…
jneumann
Great…another injury
Orbitt
karma
RunDMC
It was a windy day and CF cam couldn’t get an accurate read.
justinkm19
They won’t win the division this year
VonPurpleHayes
I honestly don’t see how they can’t. It’s not a strong division. All the boos in the world aren’t going to prevent the Astros from winning that division.
arc89
Not a strong division? You might want to recheck that. The division is even better than last year after the A’s won 97 games for second place.
VonPurpleHayes
Yes. The As are good. I never said otherwise. Two teams does not a division make. The Astros will feast on the Mariners and Rangers. The Angels are much improved, but that pitching isn’t scary. I still think it’s a weak division and the Astros will cruise. I hope I’m wrong, but I don’t see it.
bobtillman
Nah, Karma would be if he strained his flexor picking up some trash on the field and banging it on the trash can lid……
Get Off My Mound
(hackneyed trash can joke)
quonset point
That’s not karma, that would be irony.
TickingTurtle
Go ahead and put the K word out there. Write it down. If you really believe in it your favorite player is next. Just watch.
MetsFan22
I’m not even a Astro fan but it’s funny seeing all this team taking bad about them. The Astros are the team that got caught. Most of the teams you root for Most likely cheated in some way just as bad. What was the team that Beltran went to work for after 2017? The Yankees? Oh wait when scrubs had careers years? Ik my Mets are to dumb to cheat lol so I doubt they did. I’m not as hard on Astros as most bc for one they made yankee fans cry two years in a row and 2 they aren’t the only team that cheated just the one that caught.
its_happening
Yep.
MetsFan22
These teams*
fox471 Dave
No most teams did not cheat “just as bad.” Yeah, and most teams threw the world series like the Black Sox of 1919. Really a dumb comment, my friend.
its_happening
Fox – bet a lot of teams threw games back then for money. Do not kid yourself if you think the Black Sox were the only team throwing games. World Series? Maybe. But dumb comment it was not by Metsfan22.
Lrtexasman
Not really. MLB did not issue their directive league wide mid season to not use video to steal signs in 2017 because 1 team was cheating. That’s just ignorant If you believe that. Shame on Astros for continuing to use camera for several weeks after the guidance was given, but to think it was just them Is ignoring the obvious. Sure saw teams changing signs without men on base against teams other than the Astros.
hiflew
The only reason the Black Sox “threw” the World Series was because their owner wouldn’t pay them a fair market wage. They didn’t have free agency as an option. They were stuck and wanted to get paid. So it is not likely that any other team would have done that, because no other team had that skinflint Charles Comiskey as the owner.
This situation is nothing like that. This is a case where a team just wanted an edge on the competition. Any team likely WOULD have done the same thing had they thought of it.
ctguy
You forgot to mention that Cora went from Houston to The Red Sox.
MetsFan22
Yup, I didn’t mention it bc I figured Sox’s would get punished soon.
cleve1969
Metsfan22 … I’ve been saying this all along. Every team cheats one way or the other … the Astros took it to another level in 2017 and got caught. People have been saying that the Astros probably cheated in 2018 & 2019 but … Gerrit Cole came out a couple of weeks ago and said that there was no cheating in the last two years.
MetsFan22
Exactly, mostly every team has cheated. I think sadly my Mets with the wilpons and everything were to dumb to do it lol
wordonthestreet
Most ever team has cheated you claim? What the heck does that mean? So you condone the Astros behavior! Wow!
MetsFan22
It’s like the bonds topic. Everybody was doing PED so why not let bonds in the HOF. There are people in the HOF rn that were roiding and are in bc they weren’t caught. Maybe not most teams but I’m positive a lot of team were cheating too. Mlb just wants this topic to go away and Astros got all the blame. The whole 2000 yankee team was roiding for go sake. And yes Ik roiding isn’t the same as stealing signs with technology. I’m just giving you an example that a lot of people roided and not all got caught.
VonPurpleHayes
“Everybody was doing PED so why not let bonds in the HOF.”
There were definitely more players not using PEDs in the steroid era then players that were using them. While I agree that there are plenty of players in the hall that use steroids and cheated, I think it’s dangerous and completely incorrect to assume every player in the mid to late 90s was just roided up.
wordonthestreet
Oh well if Cole said so then I guess there was no cheating? That is your proof?
MetsFan22
I find it funny how Bellinger also is crying.. I would not be surprised one bit if dodgers were cheating too…
I also remember one day Degrom was getting crushed by the Braves and it was obvious they knew what was coming. I’m not saying Braves cheated but it’s just a little suspicious. Ik pitchers have bad days but Degrom giving up a bullet to every batter?? Cmon now. Degrom was probably tipping pitches. Or at least I hope. But you have to wonder.
yogineely
Too dumb to cheat, too dumb to get why everyone else is mad too
MetsFan22
It was a joke. I really don’t know if Mets cheated or not. I think they would made playoffs if they did tho.
IronBallsMcGinty
“to dumb to cheat”
MetsFan22
The Mets were probably the last team to figure out analytics. That’s what I’m trying to say with using technology to cheat.
its_happening
Considering Sandy Alderson was the guy that built the early 2000s Oakland A’s (not Beane), I’d say they probably weren’t the last team. Blue Jays started adopting the A’s way in 2002 and it didn’t work. There was always something more to the game than the analytics hype.
MetsFan22
Yeah but Callaway last year said he uses like 90% gut and 10% analytics. Anyways you are probably run but let’s face it. The Mets aren’t a well run organization mainly bc of the wilpons. The team is super talented. Talented enough to win WS this year, but there is a lot of dysfunction up in the upper parts of the organization.
goldenmisfit
Absolutely ignorant statement from the typical ignorant Mets fan. No one cheated on the level the Astros cheated by using all sorts of electronica technology. If the Dodgers cheated then they would not have any issues beating teams at home during the playoffs but they did so how about you get a clue. This statement you made just proves what I have been saying for a very long time the average New York Mets fan has very little knowledge of baseball. The only reason you idiotic Mets fans make statements like this is for two reasons first because what happened to the Yankees and second because one of the people involved is your beloved Carlos Beltrán. The harsh truth is the Mets will always be the redheaded stepchild of the New York Yankees and if by some freaky chance you actually perform well you will just end up getting your teeth kicked in by the Yankees of the National League the Dodgers.
MetsFan22
Lol how could we be your step child if we are about have a better year than you. Anyways if you read I said cheated in a some way just as bad. Not the same way. The Yankees where caught using Apple Watches. You really think that’s the only thing they ever did??? Delusional yankee fan. Don’t worry I’ll be happy to see you guys cry again this year.
MetsFan22
Also if your a dodgers fan I hope you aren’t thinking of a WS LOL!!! You’ll be crying in October for the like… wait how many years in a row have you choked??? I forgot?
sergefunction
Forget that MENSA application, MetsFan. This comment locks in your DENSA membership.
yogineely
Beautiful comment hahaha
Bleedsblue81
Hahaha…most team probably cheated, I’ll include the braves cause they had one good game against degrom, oh but wait not my team they’re too dumb to do that…comedy
MetsFan22
I said in that sentence that I’m not saying they are cheating. Do you not know how to read?? And the Mets part was kind of a joke. The Mets could have cheated but I think they would have made playoffs if they did tbh
wordonthestreet
Says the fan who thinks every team cheated “just as bad” as the Astros
Bleedsblue81
Thus why I laughed…at the joke
MetsFan22
And when you’re hitting it hard every at bat vs the games best pitcher it’s obvious that he was either tipping, hurt, or cheating. He wasn’t hurt and I’m guessing he was tipping his pitches. But cheating isn’t out of the questions. It wasn’t just a bad game.. he was getting shelled like BP. His outs were rockets.
wordonthestreet
Metsfan
This is the biggest scandal in 100 years so please educate us all on all the other teams that cheated “just as bad”.
MetsFan22
If Ik I would tell you! If you think Astros are the only team. You’re ignorant.
warren r.
Leave it to a Mets fan to find a way to turn a thread about Justin Verlander being potentially injured into an opportunity to s–t on the Yankees.
MetsFan22
Bro you’ve never heard a yankee fan do that? We basically live rent free inside their little brain.
Boogaloo
I think your confused as to what that phrase means, obviously your obsessed with the Yankees. Most Yankee fans don’t care about the Mets, they’re mainly irrelevant. And who were all these “scrubs” that had career years because of Beltran?
MetsFan22
Most yankee fans don’t care about Mets??? Lol… you guys get scared when we have a chance of passing you so you bring us down.. Urshela
Voit
Tauchman
Gardner
Ford
CrookedAsstros
Lmao Yankees fans might care about the Mets if the team didn’t constantly squander all of their talent, until that happens then the Mets remain less than an afterthought to most Yankees fans 🙂 I actually like watching the Mets do well just to see the fanbase get the same false hope they do almost every season before it comes crashing down in September.
MetsFan22
When the Mets do better than Yankees this year you won’t be laughing
VonPurpleHayes
If you’re a true Mets fan, you should know by now not to be cocky in March. I like the Mets a lot on paper, but I just don’t see any reason to be over confident.
AngelDiceClay
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH everyone knows Met fans are baseball fans that hate the NYY so they become Met fans to satisfy their craving for baseball.
So tell us wise one. Which other teams cheated and how? You have all the answers.
VonPurpleHayes
This logic doesn’t work for me because players are outraged. Why would players be outraged if they were doing it too? Do I think the Astros were the only team cheating? Of course not, but I do think the general consensus by the players around the league is that the Astros were doing something way above and beyond the norm.
I don’t think anyone was doing anything close to what the Astros were doing, but I do think this is a chance for baseball to clean up other forms of cheating as well.
8
Man feel bad for that trashtro
AllRiseForTheJudge
Something tells me Kate Upton is responsible for JV’s strained groin….
cleve1969
AngelDiceClay
One could only hope.
DarrenDreifortsContract
Kate probably needed him to wash the dishes.
retire21
I’ll wash Kate’s cans, I mean pans.
AllRiseForTheJudge
I don’t know if I’d call that “washing” 😉
SalaryCapMyth
ROFL!
@Retire. The stuffy, blue blood in me wanted to report your comment.
But no worries. The the prior serviceman in me gagged and tied that person up and left him in the basement to think about what he was going to do. >=D
swinging wood
Getting old sucks.
Joeypower
Karma ; )
rememberthecoop
Oh boy. Whenever they talk about the triceps, that is usually a harbinger of an elbow injury. Guess the Stros will need to *drum* up another starter.
wordonthestreet
I thought it was forearm that meant possible elbow injury???
retire21
I love hearing the Belichikian “everybody was doing it and besides, it didn’t help” defense.
yogineely
Seriously, with zero proof too
HalosHeavenJJ
Did a lead off man have the audacity to bunt on him in a 3 run game and hurt his wittle feewings again?
SalaryCapMyth
LOL!
Well..at least you came up with a joke that didn’t involve all the usual suspects.
McGurk
These guys are cheaters and deserve everything bad that happens to them.
prov356
McGurk – Apparently you’ve lived a spotless life. Good for you.
McGurk
I don’t steal. Not do I root for thieves.
BFFLR
The Astros got caught, plain and simple. Had they showed some honest contrition from the owner on down instead of acting like a bunch of arrogant a-holes this would have went away much faster. Now I feel like they deserve every bad thing they get. If you want to call that karma that’s up to you but it’s gonna happen!
McGurk
This. The hate goes away if they give back what they stole. Since they aren’t really sorry they won’t. This they deserve what ever come to them.
prov356
Welp, the Astros are a different team than last year and if they lose Verlander for a portion of the season, that’s even more true. The AL West is more competitive than it’s been in years. I hope Verlander is ok and has only a short term issue. No one deserves to be injured, contrary to what folks are saying on here.
HarveyD82
a 37 yr old pitcher with almost 3000 ip is gonna have an issue or two… not karma..
inkstainedscribe
Dusty doesn’t get them out of Spring Training, and already …
Melchez
Have they done anything to the red Sox yet?
wordonthestreet
Not yet
gmenfan
And *bang* goes the dynamite.
SWH91
Would be nice to see the majority of the Houston players that took part in the cheating to get injured. Don’t really want to see them hit by pitches. Guarantee one player gets hit and breaks a wrist or hit in the head to dangerous but only can hope bad luck throughout the season for them
prov356
Wow, just wow.
Sealbeach Comber
Karma
Cubfan Mike
If Bonds knew what the pitch was while he was roiding he would of hit 120 Homeruns.
oldoak33
Who on the 2017 Astros hit more home runs at home than on the road?
McGurk
How is the whitewashing going?
whyhayzee
Nope. But he would’ve been drilled a lot. Probably season over in May from the bumps.
bbatardo
Yeah karma.. Verlander should give back all those hits and home runs he got stealing signs.. oh wait he is a pitcher. You are crazy if you think even if he tried to stop them position players would listen.
Sealbeach Comber
Verlander knew his team was cheating. He knew the team didn’t really earn a ring.
He did nothing. He said nothing. Karma is…well….you know.
McGurk
He could speak up now, with really honesty and contrition. Make an honest apology, offer to make amends. You know anything but this whole “I don’t give a ____”. “Move on”, “It will all blow over” schtick that he along with his teammates and whole Asterisk organization has been implementing.
Rudy Zolteck
Yeah and when he does, he’ll get dragged even more for being soft. Don’t act like people will stop being angry instantly and they’ll be all civil, lol, this is the internet dude.
McGurk
So… That’s the excuse for not doing the right thing? Who’s fault is it that they are in this mess?
Rudy Zolteck
You said “offer to make amends” like it’s a PR thing so I said that it doesn’t matter what they say at this point and if anything they should have never given a single statement about it. It just gives MLBTR comment sections more rocks to throw.
McGurk
They could make it easier on them. They just don’t care.
Sealbeach Comber
Yeah, I guess it’s kind of hard talk your way out of cheating to win a WS. Especially when the people responsible for the cheating clearly don’t really feel remorseful.
Rudy Zolteck
I just explained that it wouldn’t be easier because he would get clowned for being soft. They could come out and cry right now and you would either say “soft” or “they don’t mean it” or something along those lines. That was what I was getting at.
McGurk
Won’t know unless they actually do it. But they aren’t even trying l. Which is why they get the treatment they are getting. In any event, looking soft should not be the detrmening factor on doing the right thing. Are they that devoid that they don’t know what’s right anymore? Here is a clue, cheating is wrong. Keeping something that you didn’t earn is wrong, acting like an entitled dbag after cheating to win a title is wrongm
MoRivera 1999
There’s good science behind emotions being contagious. When your team is up on the scoreboard, you’re going to be up on the mound. There’s also good science behind performing better when you’re up. So pitchers benefited too.
1drefordays6
Too bad they aren’t as “technologically inclined” to prevent injuries huh Verlander?
Goose
If the Astros going into this year without Cole and Verlander they are going to have their work cut out for them.
youngTank15
In more ways than one!
TickingTurtle
People, Verlander’s first game in an Astros uniform was September 5, 2017. The sign stealing had already been going on all year. He was an astro 2 months before winning the World Series.
I wish all players could stay healthy. I want to watch the best players on every team. But don’t throw karma at Verlander.
Les Chesterfield
Do u work for the stros or are u just that brainwashed to show up on an mlb message board trying to promote damage control for a bunch of cheaters ??
Rudy Zolteck
I mean… what did he say that was factually incorrect? And even then he’s not brainwashed for not wanting players to get hurt dude, and if you do then get a new hobby, honestly.
TickingTurtle
Also to everyone talking about karma, please remember Manfred said they are currently looking into other teams and will investigate others if questions arise. Look at all the players who’ve come out and said this is rampant in the MLB.
Karma could visit your teams clubhouse pretty soon. You want to clean up baseball… then let’s look at everyone accused. Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers, Brewers, Rangers….
Rudy Zolteck
Yeah but don’t say Severino is also receiving karma or you’ll hurt a bunch of feelings lol
fred-3
Innocent until proven guilty and it turns out the Astros were very guilty
30 Parks
There’s no such thing as karma or luck. If only life were that well organized.
Scrap1ron
Didn’t Verlander have this same type injury in 2015 with Detroit?
McGurk
Won’t know unless they actually do it. But they aren’t even trying l. Which is why they get the treatment they are getting. In any event, looking soft should not be the detrmening factor on doing the right thing. Are they that devoid that they don’t know what’s right anymore? Here is a clue, cheating is wrong. Keeping something that you didn’t earn is wrong, acting like an entitled dbag after cheating to win a title is wrongm