Tigers Sideline Justin Verlander with 15-Day Injured List Move
Detroit placed Justin Verlander on the 15-day injured list retroactive to April 1. Team officials cited inflammation in his left hip as the reason.
Immediate roster change
To fill Verlander’s spot on the 26-man roster, the Tigers called up right-hander Keider Montero. Montero arrived from Triple-A Toledo and will assume a rotation or swingman role.
Montero’s recent track record
Montero has two major-league seasons of experience. He recorded a 4.57 ERA over 189 innings in that time.
He has been better as a starter, with a 4.05 ERA in 144 1/3 innings. As a reliever, his ERA rose to 6.25 in 44 2/3 innings.
Verlander’s rough start and schedule impact
Verlander’s first start this season lasted 3 2/3 innings. He allowed six hits, two homers and five earned runs against the Diamondbacks.
He had been scheduled to start Sunday against the Cardinals. That outing would have been his first home start for Detroit since August 2017.
Injury history and workload
Detroit’s decision to sideline Justin Verlander came in the form of a 15-day injured list move, retroactive to April 1. There is no immediate sign the hip issue is severe.
Verlander is in his age-43 season. He missed nearly all of 2020-21 after Tommy John surgery.
He has been placed on the injured list five times over the past four seasons. He missed about five weeks in 2023 with a teres major strain.
He also missed a month in 2025 due to pectoral soreness. The 2024 campaign saw him limited by shoulder inflammation and a lingering neck injury.
From 2022 through 2025, Verlander logged 579 2/3 innings. After winning the 2022 AL Cy Young Award, he still posted solid numbers.
In a recent season with the Giants, he recorded a 3.85 ERA, a 20.7% strikeout rate, and a 7.9% walk rate across 152 innings.
Contract and rotation context
Detroit signed Verlander to a one-year, $13 million free-agent contract in February. The move offered experience and rotation depth.
Reese Olson’s shoulder surgery ended his 2026 season before it began. That opened an opportunity for Verlander in the back end of the rotation.
Rotation depth and outlook
The Tigers still have rotation pillars healthy. Tarik Skubal, Framber Valdez, Casey Mize and Jack Flaherty remain available.
However, depth has been tested. Olson’s surgery, Troy Melton’s stint on the 60-day injured list, and Sawyer Gipson-Long’s 15-day IL oblique strain have strained options.
Melton and Jackson Jobe, who underwent Tommy John surgery last June, are expected back before season’s end. Montero’s ability to replicate his starter success would help the club.
For ongoing coverage and updates, Filmogaz.com will follow roster moves and Verlander’s recovery closely.
