Verlander withdraws from comeback due to new injury, expected to miss weeks

Justin Verlander's return to the Comerica Park mound has been delayed once again. The Tigers right-hander was scheduled to come off the injured list and start against the White Sox on Monday, but was forced to withdraw after straining his left hamstring during a bullpen session in Houston on Thursday.

This is the latest blow for the 43-year-old pitcher. Since reuniting with his former team, his only appearance has been on March 30 in Arizona. Since then, he has been on the injured list with left hip inflammation, but was on the verge of returning.

Manager A.J. Hinch said the new injury is expected to sideline him for weeks rather than days.

"My hip actually felt pretty good," Verlander said. "All of a sudden, my hamstring started bothering me, and I had to cut the bullpen short. Any time I can't finish my workout, it means something is definitely wrong, so we decided to get it checked, and it was a strain. It's just really unlucky, man. It feels terrible. I don't know how else to describe it."

The Tigers signed Verlander to a one-year contract in February, expecting his return to Detroit to be an emotional one. Instead, it has become a symbol of the team's injury-plagued season. Verlander had already been frustrated with the slow progress of his hip injury recovery, which also involved extensive adjustments to correct mechanical issues left over from spring training.

Verlander underwent a series of simulated games against hitters, then made two rehab starts for Triple-A Toledo, and also conducted a simulated game in Houston on Tuesday. The results were mixed, including giving up four solo home runs in his second rehab start for the Mud Hens. But as Verlander said last weekend in Cleveland: "It's time to go pitch." Now, that moment has been delayed again.

"This is probably the first time I've dealt with something like this—back-to-back injuries," Verlander said. "The whole process has been long and grueling for me, especially considering that initially we thought it was just a very short-term injury, but had to adjust my mindset to a longer recovery. Over two months have passed, and I was on the verge of returning, then something else happened. Yeah, it's been disappointing, to say the least. But as a 43-year-old professional athlete, you just have to deal with whatever comes your way. Sitting here moping and feeling sorry for yourself doesn't help anyone. You just handle it like anything else. Things don't always go the way you expect, and this is obviously no exception. Now I have to face it and hope this is the last injury."

His last remark refers to the hope that this is the end of the injuries. At this point in the season, he is not contemplating that this might be the end of his pitching career.

"At this point, I'm in the middle of the season. You guys have known me long enough," he said. "I'm not quitting. It's only halfway through the season that I committed to the Tigers. Nobody expected things to turn out like this, but I intend to give everything I have until the end of the season. After the season, I don't know. That conversation will be completely different from last year when I looked very healthy. There are a lot of thoughts I need to seriously consider. My family is here with me now. Today is my son's first birthday, and my daughter is seven. There are also many things in my life pulling me away from the game. But I've always said I want to pitch until the wheels fall off. I don't know, maybe the wheels are about to come off. I hope not."