Houston Astros Officially Place Justin Verlander on Injured List

After some speculation this might happen, the Houston Astros have officially put their ace on the injured list.

Apr 15, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros pitcher Justin Verlander (35) watches the Astros field against the Atlanta Braves in the sixth inning at Minute Maid Park. All players wore #42 in honor of Jackie Robinson Day / Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports

The bad news keeps coming for the Houston Astros.

After there was some speculation Justin Verlander might be placed on the injured list if he wasn't able to make his start on Thursday, that has now become official.

Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports the ace will now be moved to the 15-day injured list with what is described as "neck discomfort" retroactive to Sunday. Nick Hernandez has been recalled from Triple-A to take his spot.

This is brutal news for the Astros who have dealt with major pitching injuries all season long.

Most recently, Cristian Javier and Jose Urquidy were lost for the year, and with Verlander now missing some time, this will cause Houston to rely on some inexperienced arms that put them in the position they're currently in where they have an uphill battle to make the playoffs.

For a while now, general manager Dana Brown has hinted about being buyers at the trade deadline and refusing to be sellers.

There's a chance this forces their hand.

Pitching is a premium need for all teams who are contending, and because of their weak pipeline, there's a real possibility they could be outbid for top arms on the market.

In the short term, this loss will certainly be felt.

Rookie Spencer Arrighetti is likely who they turn to Thursday as he will be able to pitch on full rest, or they could even turn that into a bullpen game.

What they do in the meantime is uncertain, though.

There's a chance they will have to recall Blair Henley who is already on their 40-man roster, but was completely overpowered in his Major League debut where he gave up five earned runs in just 0.1 innings of work.