HOUSTON — Houston Astros ace Justin Verlander, a leading candidate for the AL Cy Young Award, has been placed on the injured list with a right calf injury.
The team announced the move Tuesday and said that an MRI done on the calf Monday revealed fascial disruption, but no muscle fiber disruption.
Verlander said he isn’t sure of a timetable for his return but doesn’t expect to be out too long.
“I feel like I really kind of dodged a bullet here where the muscle isn’t actually involved,” Verlander said. “It’s the fascia, which I feel pretty fortunate about because I didn’t realize how serious even a very minor muscle calf injury can be. If that were to happen, we’d be having a much different conversation.”
Verlander’s stint on the injured list is retroactive to Monday. He was injured in his start Sunday while going to cover first base during a rundown in the third inning against the Orioles.
General Manager James Click said they should have a better idea of how long he’ll be out in the next couple of days.
“We’ll know a lot more about the return timeline once we get the body through the first 48 to 72 hours to heal,” Click said. “But our hope and our expectation is that this should be relatively short-term.”
Verlander said he was relieved when he learned that it wasn’t a major injury because he felt a pop as he took off to run on the play. But two days later he’s already feeling better.
“It got pretty sore,” he said. “It is still sore. I’m laying off of it for a few days. Based on what all of the doctors have said … that fascia heals pretty quickly. So I’m just trying to give it its time to heal before I push it.”
The right-hander lowered his major league-leading ERA to 1.84 by throwing three scoreless innings before his exit Sunday.
The 39-year-old Verlander returned this season after missing almost two seasons following Tommy John surgery. Entering Sunday’s matchup with the Orioles, he was 8-0 with a 1.35 ERA in his last 10 starts.
Verlander’s 16 wins are tied with Atlanta’s Kyle Wright and Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Tony Gonsolin for most in the majors.
The injury has caused Verlander to limp a bit as he moves around the house, something that his 3-year-old daughter, Genevieve, has noticed. Genevieve, whose mother is Verlander’s wife and supermodel Kate Upton, has been talking to dad about boo boos after scraping her knee while riding a bike recently.
“She asked me if I have a boo-boo,” Verlander said. “And the only thing she’s having a hard time understanding is that the boo-boo’s underneath my skin … so she’s like: `It’s like my boo-boo, but on the inside.’ It’s cute and fun trying to explain it to her.”
Also on Tuesday, Houston recalled right-hander Brandon Bielak from Triple-A Sugar Land and optioned outfielder Jake Meyers there. The Astros also recalled utility player J.J. Matijevic from Sugar Land and added right-hander Hunter Brown to the taxi squad from Sugar Land.
WHITE SOX: Manager Tony La Russa missed Tuesday night’s game against Kansas City with an unspecified medical issue.
The team said the 77-year-old manager would skip the game on the recommendation of his doctors and would undergo further testing Wednesday.
The Hall of Famer showed no signs of health issues during his pregame session with reporters and while talking to Chicago GM Rick Hahn and former Oakland Athletics pitching great Dave Stewart before the game.
Bench coach Miguel Cairo stepped in as acting manager.
DODGERS: Lefty Clayton Kershaw is set to come off the injured list and rejoin the rotation Thursday to face the New York Mets.
Kershaw hasn’t pitched since Aug. 4, when he exited a start against San Francisco because of lower back pain. The 34-year-old three-time NL Cy Young Award winner spent five weeks on the IL with a back injury earlier this season.
Kershaw felt good following a bullpen session Monday is ready to return in a game at Citi Field between NL division leaders.
DIAMONDBACKS: The Arizona Diamondbacks announced they’ve exercised the club option on Manager Torey Lovullo’s contract for 2023. The move comes one day after the biggest comeback win in franchise history: Arizona was trailing 7-0 in the fourth inning against the Phillies before rallying for a 13-7 victory.
Lovullo is in his sixth season with the club and is the longest-tenured manager in club history. He was NL Manager of the Year in 2017, guiding the team to the playoffs, but the franchise has slowly regressed since.
The D-backs finished with a 52-110 mark in 2021, the second-worst mark in the team’s history. They’ve been much more competitive this year, improving to 60-67 after Monday’s win.
Arizona is 20-15 since the All-Star break, buoyed by the promotions of several promising prospects, including outfielders Corbin Carroll, Alek Thomas and Stone Garrett, and pitcher Tommy Henry.
TUESDAY’S GAMES
GUARDIANS 5, ORIOLES 1: Cal Quantrill combined with three relievers for a one-hitter, rookie center fielder Will Benson made a pair of terrific leaping catches at the wall and AL Central-leading Cleveland won at home.
Ramon Urias singled in the second inning off Quantrill (11-5) for the Orioles’ only hit.
Josh Naylor hit a two-run homer and Steven Kwan had a two-run double for Cleveland.
Quantrill worked six innings and extended his career-best winning streak to seven. He is 12-0 in 39 career games at Progressive Field and has gone 31 straight home starts without a loss, the second-longest streak in MLB history behind Kenny Rogers’ 38 from 1997-2000.
Trevor Stephan, James Karinchak and closer Emmanuel Clase completed the gem with one inning apiece.
REDS 5, CARDINALS 1: Austin Romine hit a two-run homer as host Cincinnati roughed up Dakota Hudson and beat St. Louis, ending the Cardinals’ three-game winning streak.
Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols went 0 for 2 and was hit by pitch from Justin Dunn that caromed off his chest and caught his right forearm in the second inning.
Pujols stayed in the game for the NL Central leaders and remained at 694 home runs, two behind Alex Rodriguez for fourth on the all-time list.
MARINERS 9, TIGERS 3: Cal Raleigh sparked a six-run third with a solo homer and capped it with a sacrifice fly as Seattle won at Detroit.
Ty France added three hits, including his 16th homer, and scored three runs with two RBI. Carlos Santana had a two-run homer for Seattle, which has won 4 of 5.
RAYS 7, MARLINS 2: Jose Siri homered, doubled and drove in two runs as Tampa Bay won at Miami after All-Star pitcher Shane McClanahan was scratched due to injury.
The Rays, who lead the AL wild-card race, replaced McClanahan just before his scheduled start because of a left shoulder impingement. The left-hander, a contender for the AL Cy Young Award, is 11-5 with a 2.20 ERA. He started the All-Star Game for the American League last month at Dodger Stadium.
Randy Arozarena had three hits, including his 18th homer, and Yandy Diaz doubled twice for the Rays, who have won 13 of 17.
BLUE JAYS 5, CUBS 3: Teoscar Hernandez hit a three-run homer, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. also went deep and Toronto beat visiting Chicago.
Kevin Gausman pitched six solid innings to win his second straight decision as the Blue Jays won back-to-back games after losing their previous three. Toronto is in position for an AL wild card.
Guerrero finished with three hits and two RBI.
ATHLETICS 10, NATIONALS 6: Sean Murphy’s sixth-inning grand slam broke open a one-run game and Oakland won at Washington.
Murphy added two singles and drove in five runs for Oakland, which has won three straight.
DODGERS 4, METS 3: Gavin Lux drove in three runs, including a tie-breaking single in the seventh inning, as Los Angeles won at New York in a matchup of NL division leaders.
Heath Hembree (3-0), making his Dodgers debut, stranded a pair of runners in the sixth, when he whiffed James McCann for the final out.
ROCKIES 3, BRAVES 2: C.J. Cron drove in two runs, Jose Urena outpitched Max Fried, and visiting Colorado handed Atlanta its third straight loss.
Since becoming a full-time starter in 2019, Fried has 50 wins, second-most in the majors to Yankees ace Gerrit Cole (53), and he had a 2.12 ERA in his previous 11 starts. But the first-time All-Star wasn’t his usual sharp self.
Fried (12-5) allowed three runs – two earned – and seven hits with one walk and three strikeouts in five innings.
ASTROS 4, RANGERS 2: Jose Altuve homered to back Framber Alvarez, who won his sixth straight decision, as visiting Houston beat Texas.
Alvarez (14-4) gave up solo homers to Texas’ Nos. 8 and 9 hitters, rookies Ezequiel Duran and Bubba Thompson, and five singles in eight innings. He struck out eight and walked none while pitching his 22nd consecutive quality start.
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