Astros: Justin Verlander hits IL but gets ‘as good of news’ as possible on calf injury

Houston Astros pitcher Justin Verlander has officially hit the injured list, but things could be looking up for him quickly.

Houston Astros pitcher Justin Verlander has officially hit the injured list after further testing for his calf. Though having an injury is never an enjoyable situation, the outcome of Verlander’s seems to be the best possible outcome.

According to Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle, the Astros reported that the MRI showed “fascial disruption, but no muscle fiber disruption.”

Verlander told Rome, “It is an injury. It’s not nothing. I went on the IL, so it is disappointing, but on the spectrum of calf injuries go, this is as good of news as I could have gotten.”

Luckily, his injury is anticipated to be short-term. General manager James Click stated, “Our hope and expectation is that this should be relatively short-term.”

Though the Astros have a great rotation, Verlander is the best pitcher in Houston and they are certainly better with him.

Nobody can help the Astros like Justin Verlander

The Astros have one of the best rotations in the league. Among all MLB teams, they have the second-best ERA (3.04), opponent batting average (.215) and third-best WHIP (1.12). They may end up at the World Series this year, and they’re almost guaranteed a spot in the playoffs.

According to FanGraphs, they have a 100 percent chance of making the playoffs and a 14.2 percent chance of winning the World Series.

Verlander had a big impact on that success. This season, he’s produced an ERA of 1.84, a batting average against of .190 and a WHIP of 0.86.

He’s been one of the most reliable pitchers for the Astros, and despite having other talented pitchers on the team, his absence will certainly be noticeable.