Mets' Justin Verlander planning to return well before end of April
Justin Verlander said his debut for the Mets would be "very reasonable" to happen well before the end of April. Credit: AP/Lynne Sladky
Instead of pitching in the home opener against the Marlins on Friday, as team officials long had planned for him to do, Justin Verlander said before the game that it is “very reasonable” to expect him to return from injury for his Mets debut by the end of April — and probably comfortably before then.
“That would be worst-case [scenario] in my mind,” he said. “Well, worst-case is being stupid and reinjuring it. But that would be a very slow build from here.”
About a week after being diagnosed with a strain of his right teres major, a muscle near his armpit, the 40-year-old ace said he is “progressing well” and throwing at about 75% intensity. An MRI on Wednesday showed that there is just a “teeny bit” of inflammation remaining, according to Verlander.
Continuing to throw while sidelined has been a key.
“If it’s a 100-yard dash, you’re hopefully starting 50 yards down the track,” he said of his return to full arm strength. “I can’t give you an exact date, but I feel like I’m close to being able to take the leash off and start getting after it and build up . . . That’s a great thing about being able to continue throwing, once everything is healed and you say OK, go, I’m able to do like I normally would be, which would be long toss, get [on] the mound, start throwing hard. All that should fall in line fairly quickly.”
Regarding whether he will need a minor-league rehabilitation assignment, manager Buck Showalter and Verlander said separately that it will depend partly on how many pitches he can throw in his first game back. If it’s only 50 to 60, he’ll need a practice round. If he’s good for 80 or more, he’d like to come right back to the majors.
“I’m going to lobby for not needing [a rehab assignment],” Verlander said.
Showalter added: “I know how I feel personally just from past experience, but I wouldn’t commit to that yet. We all know Justin is a little different sometimes, in a good way. I’m going to follow his lead on it for the most part.”
Extra bases
At the end of introductions, Edwin Diaz — crutches in hand, his entire right leg in a brace — got to the top of the dugout to wave to the crowd as his entrance song, “Narco,” played on the PA system. He is expected to miss the season after knee surgery last month . . . The Mets included in their in memoriam video Greenlawn native Corey Phelan, a Phillies minor-leaguer who died of cancer last year.
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
