AL West Record: Houston Astros place Justin Verlander on IL

CHICAGO (AP) — Houston Astros ace Justin Verlander was placed on the 15-day injured list Tuesday to give him more time to resolve lingering neck discomfort.

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Verlander, 41, was scratched from the start Saturday against the Detroit Tigers. The three-time AL Cy Young Award winner also missed the start of the season due to inflammation in his right shoulder.

Verlander had tried to resolve his neck problem, but it wasn’t getting better.

“He just didn’t feel well enough to start playing catch,” manager Joe Espada said before the series opener against the Chicago White Sox. “So he just needs more time to get over it.”

Espada said no further tests are planned for Verlander.

“We’re just going to give him some time off from throwing and see if we can eliminate some of that neck discomfort (and) stiffness before he starts throwing again,” Espada said.

Houston has been hit hard by injuries, especially on the pitching side. Cristian Javier and José Urquidy each underwent Tommy John surgery this month. Lance McCullers Jr. and Luis Garcia could return after the All-Star break after missing the start of the season as part of the recovery process from major surgeries.

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Verlander is 3-2 with a 3.95 ERA in 10 starts this season. Espada said the timeline for Verlander’s return depends on his recovery.

“He’s definitely going to miss a start, but we’ll see how long it takes to get him back on the mound,” he said.

Espada said he was not ready to announce a starter for Thursday’s game against the White Sox. Spencer Arrighetti, who replaced Verlander on Saturday, is a possible option.

Right-hander Nick Hernandez was recalled from Triple-A Sugar Land to replace Verlander on the roster.

Houston was also without sluggers Yordan Alvarez and Kyle Tucker for the first game of its three-game set in Chicago.

Alvarez was dealing with a family matter, Espada said, but he could be back in the lineup as soon as Wednesday. Alvarez is batting .290 with 14 homers and 37 RBIs in 71 games this season.
Tucker, who leads the Astros with 19 homers, is on the IL for 10 days with a bruised right shin.

” He’s getting better. A little slower than expected,” Espada said. “We were expecting him today, he’s just going to start running and moving around. He does a little bit of that, but in the weight room.

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