Justin Verlander Injury Update, Timeline for Return to Tigers amid Hip Inflammation

Justin Verlander's first home start of the 2026 season will be delayed because of a hip injury.

The Detroit Tigers announced prior to Saturday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals that Verlander is being placed on the 15-day injured list due to hip inflammation.

Keider Montero was called up from Triple-A to take Verlander's spot on the 26-man roster.

The move is retroactive to Wednesday, making Verlander eligible to return as soon as April 16.

Verlander was scheduled to pitch on Sunday Night Baseball in what would have been his first start at Comerica Park with the Tigers since Aug. 20, 2017.

After an extended free agency, Verlander signed a one-year deal worth $13 million with the Tigers on Feb. 10. The three-time AL Cy Young winner spent the first 13 years of his MLB career in Detroit from 2005 to '17.

Verlander ranks top-10 all-time in Tigers history among pitchers in starts, innings pitched, strikeouts, strikeouts per nine innings and WHIP.

Since his debut season in 2005, Verlander's 84.5 fWAR leads all MLB pitchers. He is the only pitcher with more than 80.0 fWAR during that span. Clayton Kershaw is second at 79.1.

Using Baseball Reference's WAR model, Verlander is tied for 24th all-time among pitchers.

At 43, Verlander is the oldest active player in MLB this season. He has remained a good starter at this late stage of his career. The right-hander had a 3.85 ERA in 29 starts with the San Francisco Giants in 2025.

In his first start this season, Verlander allowed five runs in 3.2 innings in a 9-6 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on March 30.

The Tigers have not yet announced who will start on Sunday night. Montero, who appeared in 20 games with Detroit last season, would be on regular rest after allowing one hit over four shutout innings against Lehigh Valley on March 29.