Justin Verlander injury update: Travel plans to Fenway Park canceled

The Tigers will touch base with Verlander to gather more information upon returning to Comerica Park on Tuesday for the opener of a three-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers.

"We still fell like this has been a relatively minor injury for him to deal with," Hinch said, "but it's significant enough to mean he can't pitch. It's just a slower process, not a more significant injury."

Without Verlander, the Tigers have relied on right-hander Keider Montero. The 25-year-old has a 3.31 ERA with two walks and 15 strikeouts across 16⅓ innings in three starts. He hasn't finished a season with a sub-4.00 ERA since 2019 at the lower levels of the minor leagues, but right now, he is pitching better than ever before.

The Tigers' rotation ranks 10th in MLB with a 3.49 ERA through 20 games.

It would be a 3.19 ERA without Verlander.

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The Tigers placed Verlander on the injured list April 4, retroactive to April 1 – following one start. The 21-year MLB veteran allowed five runs on six hits and two walks with one strikeout across 3⅔ innings March 30 against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Verlander has been on the injured list in each of the past seven seasons, from 2020-26.

This time, there isn't a timetable for Verlander's return.

"We've got to respect the soreness and inflammation that he's dealing with," Hinch said before Tuesday's game. "He's still working out. It's just going a little bit slower, so we're going to respect it and give him the time he needs between throwing sessions. It's not like the normal cadence of every five days. There's a gap here in which he's not going to get off the mound here in Boston, so we left him back."

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Justin Verlander injury update: Detroit Tigers cancel travel to Boston