Verlander’s calf needs more time
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Astros ace Justin Verlander has resumed throwing but will “probably” require longer than the requisite 15 days on the injured list, general manager James Click said Sunday.
Verlander, who sustained a right calf injury during his start on Aug. 28, played catch from 60 feet away on both Saturday and Sunday, Click said.
The 39-year-old righthander is eligible to return from the injured list on Aug. 13, when the team is in Detroit.
“My expectation (and) I think our trainers’ expectations is that it will probably take a little bit longer than that,” Click said. “He continues to feel well and continues to progress. If we can keep his arm moving while we’re waiting for his calf to heal, that will shorten up the return-toplay procedures once everything is ready to go.”
Imaging on Verlander’s calf revealed no damage to his muscle, which Verlander said might have ended his season had it occurred. He injured himself while running to cover first base on a play during his start against the Baltimore Orioles.
Verlander still leads the majors with a 1.84 ERA and 0.86 WHIP.
Bregman takes healthy day off
Third baseman Alex Bregman, who entered Sunday with 126 starts and 128 appearances across the Astros’ first 133 games, received a long-awaited day off. He had not been off since Aug. 1 — a span of 29 games during which he slashed .347/.436/.644 and captured American League Player of the Month honors.
“If anybody had told us at the beginning of the year he’d only miss five games after last year and the year before, we’d have been very happy,” manager Dusty Baker said Sunday. “It impressed me we got to this point. He was so hot, and our offense was sputtering some, so it was hard to take him out.”
Bregman played 90 games last season while combating a quad injury. He missed 18 games during the 60-game season in 2020 while nursing a hamstring injury.