Justin Verlander's sad reflection on latest Tigers injury confirms what fans already feared

This weekend, Tigers fans came out in droves for the first series of a 10-game homestand at Comerica Park. Not only was it a lovely Father's Day weekend in Detroit, the Tigers' series against the White Sox was set to be bookended by a start from Tarik Skubal, his first in Detroit since April 23, and a start from Justin Verlander, his first in Detroit as a Tiger since Aug. 20, 2017.

Skubal pitched 5 2/3 innings of three-run baseball as he continues to improve since coming back from surgery, but Verlander never made it to the mound.

He was given a very premature scratch on Friday with a hamstring injury. The Tigers have yet to make an official roster move but already warned that a return would be "a matter of weeks."

You'd be hard-pressed to find a Tigers fan who was truly surprised by the news. With all of the setbacks Verlander had already experienced this season, it's been hard to believe that he's going to back onto the mound at all. This latest injury, and Verlander's latest comments on it, only validate those suspicions.

"I've always said I want to play until the wheels fall off," he said. "And I don't know, maybe they are falling off. I hope not."

Justin Verlander had a resigned response to latest injury that will push Tigers return back even further

Verlander is 43, the oldest active player in baseball right now, and he's faced the question of when he'll retire for at least the last four years. He's always insisted that he has no intention to do so and even expressed his desire to pitch until he's 45.

This might be the first time that Verlander has ever admitted he might be slowing down to the point of stopping.

Unfortunately, this really isn't a surprise to anyone but Verlander. Tigers fans wanted to believe in the vision, wanted to take his second half with the Giants last year as a sign that he would be able to turn on the afterburners for the team he came up with.

But what we're looking at instead is $13 million for a single major league start back in a Tigers uniform. Given his performance during that one start, it's hard to say that he actually would've been able to help the team if he'd stayed healthy, but still. It'll be a tough pill to swallow if the last Tigers fans see of Justin Verlander is a single start and a 12.27 ERA in the year they were supposed to make everything happen.

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