The New York Mets' 2023 season isn't starting with the best news.
The team announced on Thursday — also known as opening day — that starting pitcher Justin Verlander will be placed on the injured list with a low grade teres major strain.
Justin Verlander will be placed on the IL with a low grade teres major strain. He will continue throwing at moderate intensity and we will rescan in a week. We will provide an update at that time.
— New York Mets (@Mets) March 30, 2023
The teres major is a muscle deep in the shoulder, one of the many muscles a pitcher like Verlander needs to throw a ball in the 90s.
The Mets have been dealing with injured players for weeks now. Their lights-out closer, Edwin Diaz, hurt his knee while celebrating at the World Baseball Classic and will miss the entire season. They're also without starting pitcher Jose Quintana and bullpen arm Sam Coonrod.
It feels like a very Mets thing for one of their aces to go down before their first game even starts. And that it's 40-year-old Verlander, who was signed in the offseason to pair with 38-year-old starter Max Scherzer, probably doesn't give fans a lot of confidence. But it's only opening day. There's still plenty of time for the Mets to prove they don't need Verlander — or that they really, really do.
