Justin Verlander Injury: Updates on Tigers Star's Shoulder and Return

Updates from Thursday, Aug. 14

Jason Beck of MLB.com has the latest from Justin Verlander about his injury:

"

I’m going to get other opinions. Whether I need to go visit them or not, I don’t know. The more minds you put together to look at something, the better. Hopefully they all come back and say, 'Hey, that’s what we see, too.' If they say, 'Hey, maybe you want to come in and get evaluated,' OK, I might be willing to [make a visit].

Structurally, my shoulder looks about as good as you can expect for someone that’s been in the league for 10 years. ... 

... I’m excited to get back out there. Whether it’s 100 percent [strength] or not, I’ll be ready to pitch.

"

Updates from Wednesday, Aug. 13

Matthew B. Mowery of The Oakland Press spoke to Verlander about his ailing shoulder:

Updates from Tuesday, Aug. 12

Chris Iott of MLive.com reported on Verlander following Tuesday's MRI:

Jason Beck of MLB.com provides comments from Tigers manager Brad Ausmus:

Detroit Tigers head athletic trainer Kevin Rand expanded on the results, via Iott:

"

Justin underwent an MRI this morning in Detroit which basically showed normal wear and tear on a pitcher's shoulder. No major structural damage. He's obviously going to be reevaluated tomorrow at the ballpark by Dr. (Stephen) Lemos. When he sees him then we're going to discuss all treatment options at that time.

"

Original Text

Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander was removed from the team's matchup with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday with an apparent shoulder injury after just one inning of work. 

Chris Iott of MLive.com reported the news on Verlander's injury:

After the Tigers' 11-6 loss to the Pirates, Iott provided an update on Verlander:

Verlander was blunt in his assessment of the night and also spoke about how he felt, via Tom Gage of The Detroit News: 

The 2011 American League MVP and Cy Young Award winner has gone just 10-10 this season with a 4.76 ERA. His ERA has not been above 4.00 at the end of a season since 2008, also the last season he failed to amass 200 strikeouts.

Earlier this month, Verlander spoke about attempting to turn around his season, per Brendan Savage of MLive.com:

"

I think pitching is constant tinkering. You're always working on things. This year I made more drastic adjustments than I would have liked but I feel like I'm heading in the right direction and will continue working on what I've been working on and go out there and continue to pitch the way I did tonight.

"

Unfortunately, those struggles resurfaced on Monday night. But the possible injury might be more significant for the Tigers.

Verlander surrendered five runs during the outing before being taken out. ESPN Stats & Info notes the significance of the unfortunate start:

The start was not only bad for Verlander, but also for the exhausted Tigers bullpen, as Bob Nightengale of USA Today pointed out:

There is no word yet on the severity of the injury, but the situation will be evaluated further on Tuesday, as Iott mentioned.

The Tigers came into Monday night just a half game ahead of the Kansas City Royals and needed a strong outing from Verlander.

Following the buzz generated around Detroit after the David Price acquisition at the trade deadline, potentially losing Verlander would be extremely disheartening.

Verlander has been scuffling this season, but he has been a crucial component for the Tigers over the last nine years. If he is forced to miss time, their playoff hopes could take a hit.

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