Justin Verlander injury gives Tigers fans nightmare flashbacks to Alex Cobb

Tigers fans who braved the bracing Michigan cold on Sunday night expecting to see Justin Verlander make his first start as a Tiger at Comerica in almost nine years were met with an unwelcome surprise. It was Keider Montero who took the mound for the Tigers' series finale against the Cardinals after Verlander went onto the 15-day IL on Saturday.

The cause? Left hip inflammation. That might've just sent a familiar shiver down your spine.

Alex Cobb, an all-time Tigers bust like no other, missed the entire 2025 season with the exact same issue (but on his right hip). He made even more money for his entire year spent on the IL than Verlander is this year and, unsurprisingly, has not found a new home in 2026 despite expressing hesitance to retire after last season.

Let's look on the bright side. The Tigers already got one (bad) start out of Verlander, whereas they got a fat zero out of Cobb. Yay?

Tigers place Justin Verlander on 15-day IL with hip inflammation ahead of Comerica Park season debut

AJ Hinch said of the IL move: "This start meant a lot to him. That's why we waited until minutes before first pitch [on Saturday]. ... We wanted to give him every opportunity to bounce back."

The move is retroactive to April 1, so Verlander will be eligible to come back next Thursday. But Hinch didn't offer any insight into how he sustained the injury or the team's actual outlook on it, apart from a vague promise that he's "trending" in the right direction.

The vagueness is a little frustrating, but it's also not hard to figure out what's going on. Verlander is 43; his body doesn't hold up as well as it used to. This is his eighth career trip to the IL and the fifth since he turned 40.

In the meantime, Montero gets a chance to prove that he can be part of the Tigers' rotation in the long-term. With three starters leaving in free agency at the end of the season and the Tigers always eager to go with an internal option before spending, Montero needs to keep himself in the conversation. Despite a rocky end to his outing against St. Louis, he still has a couple of opportunities to start.

And we just has to hope that Verlander doesn't go the same way as Cobb. He lost some of his first half to injuries last season, too, before returning to form after the All-Star break. While it wouldn't be fun to have to wait until July to see Verlander pitch healthy and well, we'll take it. Let's hope he's getting it out of his system now.