“We expected him to be sore the next day,” Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said Sunday. “But two days later, we expected he’d have recovered better.”
The Tigers expected Verlander to be sore today after having thrown a 35-pitch bullpen followed by a 45-pitch simulated game Wednesday in Pittsburgh. But it appears the degree of soreness remains a cause for concern for the Tigers.
“We’re going to slow him down,” Ausmus said. “He’s a little more sore the second day than we’d planned, so we’re going to slow him down a little bit.”
Verlander landed on the disabled list for the first time in his career this month due to triceps soreness, but the hope was that he would be able to make his season debut on April 21 against the Yankees. That possibility has already been ruled out. He could do some light throwing tomorrow if he feels good, but he’s still a ways from joining the Tigers.