The Detroit Tigers are making a roster move early in the 2026 Major League Baseball season. The team has placed veteran pitcher Justin Verlander on the injured list for the foreseeable future.
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"The Tigers today placed RHP Justin Verlander on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to April 1) with left hip inflammation," the team said in a statement. "RHP Keider Montero has been recalled from Triple-A Toledo."
The move happens as the Tigers continue a three-game series against the Cardinals. Detroit took the first match 4-0 and then built up a 3-1 lead over St. Louis on Saturday afternoon. The series will end on Sunday evening.
Verlander, 43, made his season debut on Monday against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He gave up five runs in nearly four innings of action. He was set to make his first start of the season on Sunday against the Cardinals, but Montero will take that role.
A Virginia native, Verlander made his MLB debut with the Tigers back in 2005. He spent just over 12 seasons in Detroit while achieving success. He earned All-Star honors six times, and he led the league in win-loss percentage in both 2007 (75%) and 2011 (82.8%).
Verlander won Rookie of the Year in 2006 and MVP in 2011. He also won his first Cy Young Award during the 2011 season while leading the Tigers to the playoffs.
Verlander departed the Tigers and headed to Houston during the 2017 season. He spent seven years in Texas and won the World Series two times. He added three more All-Stars to his resume.
He also spent part of one season with the Mets (2023) and one season with the Giants (2025) before reuniting with the Tigers.
The expectation is that Verlander will once again make some starts for the team that drafted him second overall in 2004. It will just be some time as he deals with this inflammation in his left hip.
