Justin Verlander Injury: Cy Young Frontrunner Returning from Calf Strain Friday

Dusty Baker announced that 39-year-old ace Justin Verlander will come off of the 15-day IL and start for the Astros against the A's on Friday. 

Justin Verlander Injury Update

Verlander suffered a right calf strain attempting to cover first base during an inning-ending rundown on August 28 and said at the time that he believed the injury was minor.

He will likely be eased back into the rotation as the Astros approach the postseason, according to the Pro Baseball Docs, as calf injuries are fickle and can linger. 

The right-handed maestro was already on somewhat of a pitch limit in his first season back from Tommy John surgery and had been removed from a no-hitter through six innings in his previous start before the injury because he was approaching 100 pitches.

Despite missing two weeks, Verlander is still a -135 favorite to win the AL Cy Young, with Dylan Cease in second at +170 as the only other pitcher above +1000.

The two-time Cy Young winner is 16-3 with a league-high 1.84 ERA and 0.86 WHIP and has struck out 154 batters across 151 IP.

Verlander has only three or four more starts left, depending on if Houston returns to the six-man rotation it was employing earlier in the season, and is highly unlikely to top 180 innings this season. 

If Verlander wins the Cy Young, he would become only the third starting pitcher ever to win the award in a non-shortened season with under 180 innings pitched: the other two are Corbin Burnes, who won the NL Cy Young in 2021 with 167.1 IP, and Rick Sutcliffe in 1984, who led the NL with 16 wins and posted a 2.56 ERA in 150.1 IP.