00:01Tigers fans, picture this, a Sunday night national broadcast, the Detroit skyline glowing behind
00:07Comerica Park and Justin Verlander back on the mound where he built his legacy, that was the
00:12dream script, but as we all know, when you're dealing with a 43-year-old pitcher, health rarely
00:17follows a script, Verlander's actual return to that Comerica Park hill in a Tigers uniform
00:23will have to wait, the team placed the former AL MVP and Cy Young winner on the 15-day injured
00:29list this past Saturday, citing left hip inflammation, that move is retroactive to Wednesday, which means
00:35he could be eligible to rejoin the rotation as soon as April 16th, still, the organization wants to make
00:41sure he's feeling right and moving smoothly, through his delivery first, remember his first start back
00:47with Detroit, that happened Monday in Arizona, where he allowed five runs on six hits over just
00:52three and two-thirds innings, the hip issue first popped up during that outing, Verlander himself
00:57said it started as a little tightness around his left hamstring, and while it's been getting better
01:01every day, he admitted he couldn't tell the team with 100% certainty that tomorrow would be the day,
01:07manager AJ Soer, onendrakir Darinje, noticed Verlander was tentative during his Saturday morning
01:13throw, and both agreed this early in the season isn't the time to push it, now, let's not forget the
01:19emotional side, Friday night, Verlander received a roaring ovation during pre-game introductions,
01:25and later squatted behind home plate to catch former teammate Brandon Inge's ceremonial first
01:30pitch, that moment showed exactly how much his return means to this city, the Tigers had already
01:35sold a bunch of tickets for Sunday night's game against the Cardinals, expecting Verlander to start,
01:40despite chilly forecasts, Verlander acknowledged the frustration, especially for fans who spent hard
01:45earned money to be there, he even said he spoke with the organization about it, and they plan to do
01:49something for those ticket holders, in the meantime, right-hander Keiter Montero is being recalled from
01:54AAA Toledo, and is expected to start, in Verlander's place on Sunday night, Montero was already lined up
02:01to pitch on his regular turn for the Mud Hens, so he's ready, in his season debut on March 29th
02:06at
02:06Lehigh Valley, he tossed four scoreless innings with three strikeouts, as Hinch put it, they didn't
02:12anticipate needing rotation help this week, but now a guy who arguably could have made the opening day
02:17roster gets his chance, so here's my question to you, Tigers faithful, given how early it is in the
02:24season, do you think the team made the right call by playing it safe with Verlander, or would you have
02:29risked letting him pitch through the discomfort for a chance at that magical Sunday night moment?
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