Justin Verlander Injury: Hope For Minimum IL Stint After Calf Strain

The Astros placed Justin Verlander on the 15-day IL Tuesday with a right calf strain that caused him to exit his last start on Sunday.

An MRI revealed he had a fascial disruption to his calf, but reportedly had no muscle fiber disruption.

The Pro Baseball Docs agree with Verlander’s optimism that the calf injury is minor, but it would be highly unusual to have only a disruption to the fascial covering and not the underlying muscle.

In a video interview, Verlander said he heard a pop and felt weakness in his calf when the injury occurred. That weakness would suggest the muscle was affected, if only slightly, because the fascial covering has nothing to do with strength.

Although calf injuries can linger, the hope is Verlander will require just the minimum 15-day absence before returning to the mound.

The Astros have a 11.5-game lead in the AL West so they can afford to be cautious with the 39-year-old ace.

Legs are vital to a pitcher’s delivery, especially the push-off leg. It would not be surprising to see Verlander get eased back into the rotation on a pitch limit to not overextend the calf.

The three-time Cy Young winner leads the AL in wins (16), ERA (1.84), WHIP (0.86) and pitching WAR (4.5) through 152 innings this season.