Justin Verlander’s return to Detroit is only getting worse.
The three-time Cy Young winner was scratched from his second start with the team Sunday against the Cardinals and placed on the 15-day injured list with hip inflammation, the Tigers announced Saturday.
The 43-year-old was set to take the mound at Comerica Park as a Tiger for the first time since 2017.
Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander prepares to hand off the ball to manager A.J. Hinch during the fourth inning of an opening-day baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. AP Instead, righty Keider Montero was called up from Triple-A Toledo and is expected to start vs. St. Louis.
Verlander’s return was already off to a rocky start after allowing five earned runs on six hits and two walks in 3 ⅔ innings in his first outing in a 9-6 loss to the Diamondbacks on March 30.
The righty spent the first 14 years of his career with the Tigers, leading them to a 2006 World Series appearance and winning the Cy Young in 2012.
Verlander was traded to the Astros in 2017 and spent six-plus seasons in Houston with a 16-start cameo for the Mets in 2023, breaking things up before being traded back to the AL West team.
Verlander was coming off a solid 2025 with the Giants after a disastrous 2024.
He posted a 3.85 ERA and 1.36 WHIP over 152 innings despite a 4-11 record.
The hope was he could re-find some magic for a Tigers team looking to make a World Series run with ace Tarik Skubal’s set to hit free agency after the season
The Tigers are off to a slugging 3-4 start entering Saturday’s contest, getting swept in Arizona before beating St. Louis, 4-0, on Friday to end a four-game losing skid.
