Tigers’ Justin Verlander lands on IR, canceling Sunday’s ‘Must See TV’ start

Justin Verlander’s much-anticipated return to Comerica Park has been put on hold.

The Detroit Tigers veteran pitcher endured inflammation in his left hip and was placed on the 15-day injured list.

With the Tigers jumping out to a 3-0 advantage over the visiting St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday, they remained poised to appear on NBC’s Sunday Night Baseball. Even without some of the pre-telecast fanfare.

Instead of creating “Must See TV” by making his first home start since 2017 in primetime, Verlander ventured to the IR, putting his featured home return on the shelf until likely later in April.

Tigers’ Justin Verlander lands on IR early

The Tigers announced that the move to place Verlander on the injured list is retroactive to Wednesday, due to left hip inflammation. Triple-A Toledo right-hander Keider Montero was called up to replace the veteran with 266 career victories.

Verlander’s return to Detroit has been anything but triumphant. Initially, the transaction was hailed as a marketing department win after the 2004 No. 2 overall draft pick returned to his original organization as a free agent last offseason.

He mentored the club’s minor-league pitchers and, from beat-reporting releases, blended seamlessly into the locker room. He was familiar with many members of the Detroit media and, maintaining Michigan roots, appeared comfortable in his familiar surroundings.

But there was no spinning Verlander’s spring training performance or his season-opening start. He surrendered seven Grapefruit League homers and suffered the loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks last Monday, giving up five earned runs on six hits, including two homers, in 3.1 innings.