Astros Hoping to Activate Justin Verlander from IL on Friday
The Houston Astros could have their ace back on the mound ahead of Friday’s contest versus the Oakland Athletics.
Prior to Wednesday’s finale against the Detroit Tigers, manager Dusty Baker provided an update regarding right-hander Justin Verlander’s status, saying the team hopes to activate him on Friday. But that plan isn’t set in stone just yet.
Houston has yet to announce its starting pitchers for the upcoming four-game series at home versus Oakland. As currently constructed, however, Lance McCullers Jr. is lined up to start Thursday’s opener, with Verlander possibly to follow.
The 39-year-old hasn’t pitched since Aug. 28 due to a calf injury, which forced him to depart after just three innings. He was later placed on the 15-day injured list, making him eligible to come off the IL on Wednesday.
Verlander’s return will be massive for the Astros, who initially believed the veteran’s injury was far more severe and could’ve sidelined him through the rest of the regular season. Thankfully, that didn’t prove to be the case.
Considering Houston leads the AL West Division by 12.5 games, there’s no need to risk further injury, meaning the organization can afford to ease the nine-time All-Star back in if needed. And it’s not like they’re hurting when it comes to starting pitching depth.
Even without Verlander, the club is operating with a six-man rotation, including McCullers Jr., Framber Valdez, José Urquidy, Luis Garcia, Cristian Javier and Hunter Brown. Now, they’ll be able to add a former MVP into the mix ahead of the final few weeks of the regular season.
Despite missing all of last season and most of 2020 due to Tommy John surgery, Verlander has returned to his dominating form this year. At 39, he’s currently among the favourites to win the 2022 AL Cy Young Award – which would be the third of his career.
The 6-foot-5 hurler has logged 152.0 innings, posting a 1.84 ERA in 24 starts this season. He currently leads the majors in that category and is tied for the third-highest fWAR rating (4.8), with Toronto’s Kevin Gausman as the only AL pitcher ranked above him.
Additionally, the 2017 World Series champion also carries a 2.74 xERA, 2.71 FIP, 26.5 percent strikeout rate, 4.5 percent walk rate and a .188 OPP AVG.
At 92-50, the Astros currently hold the best record in the AL, and if that stands, they’ll receive a first-round bye and play either the No. 3 or No. 6 seed in the playoffs. That’s likely to be the winner of the AL Central Division or the third wild-card seed.
Assuming Verlander remains healthy, he’s poised to start Game 1 of the ALDS, with Valdez potentially lined up behind him to start Game 2. As a result, that’d leave a combination of Urquidy, McCullers Jr., Garcia and Javier for the remaining contests.
Whichever team Houston faces, they’ll be tasked with the difficult challenge of facing one of the top starting rotations in the sport – if not the best.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @ThomasHall85