*Photo from CBS Sports*
The Houston Astros have announced that RHP Justin Verlander underwent surgery on his groin and will miss approximately 6 weeks. Since opening day at the earliest will be in mid may, there is a chance that Verlander could recover in time to take the mound on opening day, whenever it ends up being. Verlander had a groin issue that delayed his spring training debut, and left his start on March 9 due to a lat strain. MLB has pushed back opening day by at least 8 weeks after recommendations by the CDC.
Astros GM James Click said that "Initially, the hope was that physical therapy would be the proper course of action, however, after a recent setback in his rehab, the medical staff recommended that a surgical procedure was necessary." Losing Verlander for any amount of game time would be a blow to the Astros, but since opening day was postponed, the Astros might have the normal Justin Verlander back for the start of the year, which is crucial to their success this season.
After losing ace Gerrit Cole to the Yankees, the Astros are counting on Verlander, Zack Greinke, and Lance McCullers Jr to lead their rotation. The 4th spot is projected to go to Jose Urquidy, while the 5th spot was a competition between Framber Valdez, Josh James, Austin Pruitt, and prospect Bryan Abreu. If Verlander is in fact able to start opening day, it would be the 3rd straight opening day start and 12th of his career.
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