Tigers will avoid the dark reunion nobody wanted during Giants series

Future Hall of Famer and Tigers legend Justin Verlander joined his fourth major league team in January, when he signed a one-year deal with the Giants entering his 20th career season. Despite sporadic struggles with injury dating back to 2020, Verlander has made no indication that he's ready to retire.

The Giants rolled into Comerica on Monday and the Tigers have already cemented a series win that they'll attempt to turn into a sweep on Wednesday afternoon. But Verlander won't get a chance to face his former team, as he went onto the 15-day IL May 22.

Verlander has faced the Tigers before, six times as an Astro and once as a Met. Just last year, he was in the dugout watching as the Tigers upset the Astros to move onto the ALDS for the first time since Verlander was still part of the team.

It's always bittersweet to watch Verlander pitch against the team that made him — and typically dominate them, given the offense's .156 average against him — so it's a blessing in disguise that the Tigers won't have to face him in 2025.

Justin Verlander's IL stint means Tigers won't get an awkward reunion in series vs. Giants

There have always been some lingering rumors around a potential Verlander return to Detroit, sometimes even encouraged by Verlander himself. This offseason, when the Tigers signed Alex Cobb for the exact same amount of years and money that Verlander signed with the Giants for, it immediately begged the question: why didn't the Tigers try for a reunion with Verlander instead?

Cobb is a little younger than Verlander and has been just as embattled with injuries over the last few years. Verlander is a living legend, Cobb isn't. Verlander has spent the majority of his career in the Tigers organization, Cobb hasn't.

Still, the Tigers rotation has a new ace who draws regular comparisons to Verlander in Tarik Skubal, and behind him a young core of starters who have been solid basically across the board this year. If he'd come back, Verlander could've been faced with the same accusations currently being leveled at Cobb — that he threatens to throw a wrench into what the Tigers are trying to build.

If Verlander does make it back to Comerica as a member of a different team before he retires, Tigers fans will greet him with a warm standing ovation. It'll always be nice to see him back in Detroit, but maybe not as a Tiger at this point in his career.