Justin Verlander feels ‘absolutely wonderful’ with Mets debut nearing
Physically, Justin Verlander feels “absolutely wonderful” while throwing. The mental side has proven more of a hurdle recently.
The superstar Mets co-ace, rehabbing a low-grade teres major strain in his shoulder, said he has strengthened the troublesome muscle and is “99 percent” of the way back.
Verlander, whose club debut likely will be next week, will have missed his first month with his new team, part of a Mets squad that is down four-fifths of its projected rotation.
Verlander’s absence compounding the depth problem has made it more frustrating for the right-hander.
“You see [healthy] guys stretching themselves just a little bit — it is frustrating,” Verlander said Tuesday before the Mets played the Nationals at Citi Field. “It’s hard for me to not be a part of [the team] and not help in some way, shape or form.
“But everybody behind the scenes is saying, ‘Just wait. Your time will be here. It’s still early. Let’s not overdo it now.’ ”
The next step is expected to be the final one.
Verlander, who most recently threw 43 pitches in a live batting practice session in Port St. Lucie on Sunday, will make a rehab start Friday in which he will stretch out further, probably to four innings.
The Mets “have a pretty good idea,” Buck Showalter said, where the rehab assignment will come, though the manager did not want to reveal the location.
If all goes well, Verlander could begin his season next Wednesday or Thursday in Detroit, where he starred from 2005-17.
“Thank goodness the boys have been playing really good baseball,” said Verlander, who added he has begun to build up his velocity and is happy with his stuff. “That makes it a little bit easier.”
The Mets finished their West Coast swing a game back of the Braves despite the losses of Verlander, Jose Quintana (left rib fracture), Carlos Carrasco (right elbow inflammation) and most recently Max Scherzer, who was suspended 10 games following his Wednesday ejection for having a hand that umpires deemed too sticky.
The Mets have kept afloat with a rotation that has featured Tylor Megill, David Peterson, Joey Lucchesi and Jose Butto, who was called up to start Tuesday.
Want to catch a game? The Mets schedule with links to buy tickets can be found here.
Of the rotation that the Mets entered spring training with, only Kodai Senga has made a start in each turn.
“It’s hard,” Showalter said. “I’m sure we can find somebody else that’s going through it somewhere. But … it’s a great opportunity for some other people. We were hoping it wouldn’t happen this early, but we felt like there was a good chance we were going to have to dip into the depth at some point.”
Verlander will not be fully built up and ready for 100 pitches when he makes his Mets debut.
He has been able to throw consistently since hitting the IL on March 31, which has left him encouraged, as did a recent follow-up MRI exam in which “everything looked really, really good.”
Scherzer is expected to rejoin the rotation for the home series against the Braves this weekend.
With Verlander slotted to be back in the ensuing series, this year’s version of the Mets’ dream 1-2 punch is on the cusp of making its debut.
It will be delayed, but the hope is it will last after Verlander has tried to stop himself from forcing his way back too soon.
“Even though it’s a minor strain, it’s an area that you can’t mess around with,” the 40-year-old said. “It has to be completely healed before you step on the gas. If it’s a hamstring or something different, those things you can pitch through.
“This is something that if you jump the gun, you can set yourself back three months.”