Justin Verlander To Throw Another Bullpen Sunday
6 months agoHouston Astros right-hander Justin Verlander (shoulder) will throw another bullpen session in camp on Sunday, and the Astros will determine Verlander's next step after that. The next step in his progression will be to get cleared to face live hitters, but the Astros aren't going to rush the 41-year-old, especially given all of his injuries in recent seasons. The future Hall of Famer had a late start to the 2023 campaign due to an injury but ended up finishing 13-8 with a 3.22 ERA (3.85 FIP) and 1.13 WHIP with 45 walks and 144 strikeouts in 162 1/3 innings over 27 starts. Houston isn't ruling out Verlander for Opening Day, but it's more likely than not that he'll open the year on the injured list as a precaution. Verlander can still be useful as a No. 3 or 4 starter for fantasy managers, but he's become a pretty big injury risk at the tail end of his career.
Source: The Athletic - Chandler Rome
Source: The Athletic - Chandler Rome