Houston Astros star Justin Verlander provided an injury update Wednesday. The veteran, who was traded back to the Astros in 2023 after signing with the New York Mets, is expected to lead Houston's rotation in 2024. The latest update on Verlander's shoulder is concerning, however.
“When I first started playing catch I usually shut it down for a while and this time when I shut it down and picked a ball back up, my shoulder didn’t feel so great so I kind of had to take a step back,” Verlander said, per Brian McTaggart of MLB.com.
The future Hall-of-Famer is 40 years old. The last thing Houston wants to see is Verlander already dealing with a potential injury. Verlander's health will be of the utmost importance, as even at 40 years old he's still one of the best pitchers in baseball.
Astros: Justin Verlander is still a star
Overall, he finished the 2023 season with a 3.22 ERA between the Mets and Astros. In 2022, Verlander won the AL Cy Young after pitching to a league-leading 1.75 ERA and 0.829 WHIP. In other words, there's reason to believe that Verlander can pitch at an All-Star level if he remains healthy in 2024.
The Astros will obviously monitor his injury situation closely. Verlander and Houston haven't revealed exactly what the shoulder issue is, so fans will want to continue looking for updates.
As for the Astros, Houston will enter 2024 with confidence. The Texas Rangers won the World Series in 2023, but the Astros still won the AL West. Their roster features some uncertainty heading into the new campaign, but Houston still expects to compete at a high level.
The Astros signed star second baseman Jose Altuve to a contract extension and brought in closer Josh Hader. Again, though, Justin Verlander's health will go a long way in determining how this ball club fares.
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