With a Max Scherzer betraying his age, a José Quintana on the disabled list and a Carlos Carrasco on the downward slope, the New York Mets need their new acquisition, Justin Verlander, to be healthy more than ever.
And the main interested party had good news to announce, he who is now throwing with an intensity of 75 percent after suffering a major shoulder sprain.
I think a return to play in April is very reasonable. I haven’t set a deadline, but I suspect when it will happen. The worst would be to be stupid and get injured again, but I think the timing is very likely.
The 40-year-old should have started today’s game if he hadn’t ended up on the injured list, but instead it’s Tylor Megill who will have the honor of opening the season at home for the Mets.
In a more than raised division, despite the Philadelphia Phillies’ poor start to the season, the sooner the better for Verlander’s return, without however rushing things.
Bringing him back into the rotation by the end of the month would be huge for the New York team, both for him and for the pitching staff currently in place, staff who have struggled to keep up the pace since the start of the campaign.
Verlander doesn’t want to start in the minors before making his MLB debut with his new team at Queens. It remains to see the opinion of the medical staff on this subject.
