Justin Verlander Undergoes Core Muscle Repair Surgery

If 2014 was suppose to be Tigers’ year, it has not has not gotten off to a good start.

On Thursday, the Detroit Tigers shocked their fans with a tweet describing that their star starting pitcher, Justin Verlander, underwent surgery:

The 2011 MVP, according to reports, injured himself during offseason conditioning last month, but is expected to make a full recovery. Although just speculation, “core muscle,” probably translates to a hernia resulting from beginning workouts.

This was a surprising announcement to writers and fans alike. The Tigers’ public relations team kept Verlander’s injury a complete secret, only revealing the nature of the surgery after it was successfully completed. Even general manager Dave Dombrowski chimed in on Verlander’s surgery:

After all the panic and speculation, the injury will most likely not affect the 2014 season. Verlander is expected to miss six weeks, but will be healthy and ready in plenty of time for Spring Training in mid-February.

The nine-year vet is well-deserving of a rest. Verlander has been been a top-tier pitcher since his rookie year in 2005 and has pitched over 200 innings every year since 2007. A core muscle tear can leave pitchers weaker later in their career with less power coming in later innings. As 100 mph fastballs is a Verlander signature, only time will tell if this injury is more than a minor annoyance.

In the meantime, Verlander hopped on twitter to confirm he still had use of his fingers:

According to FoxSports.com writer Jon Paul Morosi, Verlander has never been on the disabled list with Detroit:

That is one record Tigers fans hope JV doesn’t break.


Richie Cozzolino is the host of Tiger Talk for Impact Sports.

Photo: Detroit Tigers