The Houston Astros have done a lot of impressive things to navigate injuries this season. But the most impressive performance may be in the starting rotation.
The Astros' rotation has been held together by duct tape as Spencer Arrighetti, Lance McCullers, and Hayden Wesneski missed significant time due to injury. Luis Garcia and Cristian Javier have also been on the road to recovery after undergoing Tommy John surgery last season, which led to an unlikely cast of characters to help Houston afloat.
While it’s been a positive story, it’s curious to wonder what would have happened if they kept some players around after last season, including an ace who broke his silence on retirement rumors this week.
Former Astros RHP Justin Verlander Plans to Pitch in 2026
Justin Verlander left the Astros as a free agent last winter and signed a one-year deal with the San Francisco Giants. While his age-43 season hasn’t gone to plan, Verlander has no plans of hanging up the cleats and told the San Francisco Standard’s John Shea that he plans to pitch in 2026 unless he experiences a significant injury.
“At this point in my career, if something really goes wrong, I’m not going to rehab a surgery or anything,” Verlander said. “I always understand that it could be it, but I think physically, I’ve shown some good health this season.”
Verlander has a spot in Cooperstown whenever he retires, but in his mind, that day will have to wait. The former American League MVP and three-time Cy Young Award winner has spent 20 seasons on the mound, including seven seasons with the Astros, where he went 73-28 with a 2.71 ERA and won a pair of World Series rings in 2017 and 2021.
Of course, health has been an issue as Verlander has entered his 40s. The right-hander missed the entire 2021 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery and was kept off Houston’s postseason roster last season as he battled shoulder issues and a nerve injury in his neck. While Verlander missed a month due to a pectoral strain, he feels like he’s been able to be healthy for the most part with the Giants.
“As I’ve been on the mound, things have started to get better and better,” Verlander said. “To me, that’s a good sign with all the work I put in after my nerve injury last year, which notoriously takes a long time. The ball’s rolling in the right direction and I would like to continue pitching. You never know. It’s a fickle game too, but I think the stuff is still there.”
While Verlander feels healthy, the way he feels about his stuff may be debatable. According to Baseball Savant, Verlander’s fastball run value has dropped from a plus-9 in 2023 to minus-5 in 2024 and a minus-7 this season. He’s also logged his second-lowest strikeout rate in the Statcast era (since 2015) at 19.6% and has his highest walk rate (8.1%) since 2017 (8.5%).
At age 43, it’s hard to tell how much Verlander has left in the tank, but his past could be enough to convince a team to squeeze one more year out of the future Hall of Famer.