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There was no hiding it.

"I mean, it's definitely a 10. It's the elbow, that's my bread and butter," Mets relief pitcher Austin Warren said Wednesday about his level of concern regarding his most recent injury. 

After struggling and not "feeling great" in his last two outings, Warren was placed on the 15-day injured list with right forearm tightness as he now waits for MRI results to come back.

He's allowed nine runs on eight hits across two-plus innings of work in those last two games, including letting up five runs without recording an out in Tuesday's wild loss to the Kansas City Royals. The right-hander said he began to feel the forearm tightness during and after the game.

"Forearm tightness, yes. Haven't felt great the past couple," Warren said. "Obviously, that's part of the game these days. I've had outings earlier in the year that I haven't felt great that went better than last night. But yeah, last night, I threw a pitch, I don't know what pitch number it was, but it just didn't feel great. I came right in and told them right away. Yeah, got some MRIs this morning and we're waiting to hear back."

The 30-year-old knows the implications at hand having already undergone Tommy John surgery back in 2023. He was asked how this injury feels to his previous, saying it's never an easy thing for a pitcher to deal with and is hoping it's just inflammation.

"It's hard to explain. The elbow is a crucial part to a pitcher's body. It's not fun, but hopefully it's not bad," Warren said.

He added: "It's hard to say. I've had Tommy John before, obviously I don't want to have it again. I hope it's not serious, hopefully it's just some inflammation from throwing a lot lately. We'll hopefully know in the next couple of hours or tomorrow."

Losing Warren for an extended amount of time would be yet another blow to the Mets bullpen. He's gone 1-3 with a 4.63 ERA over 26 games this season, but flashed his peak ability with a 1.15 ERA over 11 appearances in May.

The Mets have made another set of roster moves, as the team has called up right-handed pitchers Xzavion Curry and Tobias Myers, placed fellow right-handed pitcher Austin Warren on the 15-day injured list with a right forearm strain, and designated right-handed pitcher Matt Seelinger for assignment. And Dedniel Núñez, yet another right-handed pitcher, is having his rehab assignment transferred from Double-A Binghamton to Triple-A Syracuse.

Seelinger was the 61st pitcher the Mets have used since the beginning of the 2025 season, the highest total in all of baseball, and his addition to and removal from the active roster might’ve been the cruelest of the team’s never-ending churn. A 31-year-old journeyman, Seelinger was put into a 9-9 game and proceeded to give up seven earned runs in two innings of work in his major league debut.

Curry, who is 27 years old, signed a minor league deal with the Mets earlier this season, and he’s made ten appearances in Syracuse, where he’s thrown 49.1 innings with a 4.74 ERA and a 5.68 FIP working as a starting pitcher.

Myers was thought to be a great addition when he came to the team alongside Freddy Peralta in the trade that sent Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat to Milwaukee during the offseason. He’s been bouncing back and forth between Syracuse, though, since the Mets got him, and he has a 6.21 ERA and a 4.93 FIP in 42.0 innings at the major league level this year.

Warren had been looking very good this season, but a disastrous outing last night against the Royals left him with a 4.63 ERA and a 4.66 FIP in 35.0 innings. His second-to-last outing before hitting the IL went poorly, too, and before that, he had a 2.45 ERA and a 4.06 FIP.

Núñez is working his way back from Tommy John surgery, prior to which he had been one of the Mets’ best relief pitching breakouts of the past several years. He will presumably get a look at the major league level at some point this year, but he has an option remaining and could end up pitching in Syracuse beyond his rehab assignment, at least until the Mets start trading away other relievers from their active roster.

We knew this day was eventually coming, but man, it still hurts.

We wanted him to pitch forever.

We wanted him to join that illustrious 300-victory club, selfishly knowing we will never see it again.

The news stung Wednesday that Justin Verlander was calling it career at the conclusion of the Detroit Tigers’ season.

"This season has challenged me in ways I haven't experienced before, both physically and mentally," Verlander said in his social media post. "I've always believed that as long as I could compete at the level I expect of myself, I'd keep playing. I never wanted to retire because of a milestone, a number, or a date on the calendar. I wanted the game to tell me when it was time.

"Over the last several months, I've realized that time has come."

But before he puts on the uniform for the last time, he still plans to step on the mound again, no matter what it takes.

"I'm fully committed to giving my team everything I have," he said, "for the rest of this season."

I saw his first start of the season in Arizona in March, and like everyone else, was eagerly looking forward to him stepping back on the mound in Detroit, and hearing the thunderous ovation from Tigers’ fans witnessing his return home.

Now, four months later, we’re still waiting, hoping he can pitch again before the season ends.

If we dare dream, we’d love to see him pitching one more time in the World Series.

Verlander, 43, will be remembered as one the greatest pitchers of his generation. He will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, and who knows, perhaps a unanimous Hall of Famer.

This is a man who won three Cy Young awards and an MVP award. He won 266 games, ranking 37th all-time. He has 3,554 strikeouts, ranking eighth in history. He joins Dodgers great Don Newcombe as the only players in MLB history to win the rookie of the year, Cy Young and MVP awards in his career. He’s also one of just six pitchers in history to throw three no-hitters.

What I’ll remember is that he was an ultimate gamer, a workhorse, who wasn’t worrying about pitch counts. He couldn’t care less about fatigue. He never wanted to come out of games. He pitched more than 200 innings 12 times in his 21-year career, including eight seasons in a row, leading the league in innings four times.

It’s a marvelous gesture by MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred to select Verlander as a "legend pick" to be at the 2026 All-Star Game. He’s on the 60-day IL with hip and hamstring injuries, but man, wouldn’t it be something for Verlander to get that thunderous ovation to throw out one of the ceremonial first pitches?

This will be Verlander’s 10th All-Star appearance, and his first with the Tigers since 2013, resurrecting memories when he was on that star-studded Tigers’ staff with Max Scherzer, Anibal Sanchez, Rick Porcello and Doug Fister. Verlander later won two World Series championships with the Houston Astros, but it still bothers him to this day that he and the Tigers didn’t win in 2013, knocked off by the Boston Red Sox.

Verlander loved showing young pitchers what it takes to be an ace of a staff, and as much as folks want to say that wins are an overrated stat for starting pitchers, it meant everything to Verlander.

Winning games means that you’re pitching deep into games.

Winning games means that you’re out-pitching the other pitcher.

Winning games means that you are doing absolutely everything in your power to win games.

That was Verlander, who badly wanted to be last 300-game winner, no matter how old he got, but damn it if Father Time didn’t get him too.

"It’s a different conversation now than it was last year when I seemed to be really healthy," Verlander told reporters two weeks ago, "a lot of thoughts that I’m going to have to take into consideration. My family is up here with me now. My son is turning 1, my daughter is 7. There’s a lot of things that are also going on in my life that are a draw away from the game.

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

Well, it looks like they have, but no matter how many starts Verlander has left in him, or if he can’t return, memories will never be forgotten.

He has been a living legend, wearing the Old English D with pride, and his jersey, No. 35, will one day be officially retired by the Tigers.

The man gave everything he had to the organization, and really, to all of baseball. He was an ultimate role model on and off the field.

When he leaves, and takes off his uniform for the final time, we may never see another one like him, and perhaps never another 250-game winner again.

"I hope it happens," Verlander told USA TODAY Sports, in March, "but the way the game is now, I kind of doubt it."

Agree.

Say farewell to the end of an era, and one of the greatest pitchers we’ll ever see.

Follow Bob Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Justin Verlander's retirement marks the end of an era we'll never see again | Opinion

Justin Verlander’s right arm was a gift to the game. And most notably to the Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros.

The former drafted him and threw him into Major League Baseball’s deep end shortly thereafter, while the latter became his second home after a late-career trade that saw him refine his craft, ratchet up his dominance and become a World Series champion.

The 266 wins, 3,554 strikeouts and three Cy Young Awards are more than enough evidence his Cooperstown case is airtight. Yet Verlander, who announced Wednesday, July 8 that he will retire after this season, was so much more than just the numbers.

Sure, he had his share of big-game failings — 556 career starts and 10 trips to the postseason will bring its share of rainfall — but Verlander also stood tall when it mattered most countless times.

Here’s five moments that defined Verlander’s nearly peerless career:

More: Justin Verlander's season debut was ugly but Tigers believe in return at 43

Justin Verlander: Yankee killer

Verlander made his major league debut July 4, 2005 and had just a two-start cameo before winning 17 games in claiming the 2006 Rookie of the Year award.

Yet before that plaque would be officially awarded, Verlander stood in old Yankee Stadium, Game 2 of the AL Division Series, with the Tigers — a curiosity that hadn’t reached the playoffs in 19 years — already trailing 1-0. A “New York Times live blog” of the event seemed to portend baseball’s future.

“Verlander,” it noted in the second inning, “is now hitting 100 mph with his fastball.”

The kid would strike out five in 5 1/3 innings as the Tigers gained a split at the Stadium and stunned the heavily favored Yankees in the ALDS.

And so began a couple patterns: The Tigers were legit. And Verlander was Kryptonite for the Yankees.

Five years later, he’d strike out 11 in eight innings of 2011 ALDS Game 3, and the Tigers would vanquish the Yankees in a decisive fifth game. In 2012, it was eight shutout innings, stretching his postseason scoreless streak to 23, before a ninth-inning homer in an ALCS Game 3 win as the Tigers eliminated the Yankees in five.

And then there was Houston.

Verlander’s 11^th-hour approval of a deal from Detroit to the Astros on Aug. 31, 2017 had a massive impact on the sport. Verlander was the ace the budding dynasty Astros needed, and he proved it in that year’s ALCS against the Yankees: A five-hitter with 13 strikeouts in a 2-1 Game 2 win, and seven shutout innings in a Game 6 victory. Houston would clinch the pennant a night later.

The Yankees finally got him 2019, scratching out four runs in seven innings of ALCS Game 5. Three years later, though, a 39-year-old Verlander would strike out 11 in six shutout innings of ALCS Game 1. The Astros would sweep the Yankees and go on to win another World Series.

The Yankees can only wonder how many Fall Classics the kid from Old Dominion locked them out of.

Justin Verlander: MVP

There is a certain “know it when you see it” element to pitchers winning Most Valuable Player awards. After all, they’ve got their own little Cy Young Award, which is often more than sufficient to honor the most dominant arm in the game.

Yet in 2011, you knew it when you saw it with Verlander.

Nobody wins 20 games anymore, and hardly anyone pitches 200 innings. Well, in that blessed season, Verlander won 24 games, pitched 251 innings, struck out 250 batters, posted a 2.40 ERA and 0.92 WHIP and led either the majors or the AL in all those categories.

He completed seven innings in 26 of his 34 starts. In 11 of those, he pitched eight or nine innings and allowed two or fewer runs. He struck out 250 and walked 57.

Wanna know what a pitcher’s MVP season looks like? It's that.

Justin Verlander: No-hit knack

Verlander joined an exclusive club on Sept. 1, 2019, by tossing his third no-hitter: Only Nolan Ryan, Larry Corcoran, Cy Young, Bob Feller and Sandy Koufax have thrown that many.

Want a more exclusive club? Verlander went more than eight years between no-hitters, pulling the feat off against the Toronto Blue Jays both times. Only Randy Johnson — who went 11 years — had a longer time in between.

How long has this freaking guy been pitching? Well, his three no-hitters landed in the presidential terms of George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump.

Justin Verlander: Winner-take-all hero

Only twice has Verlander started a winner-take-all game. They came in consecutive years, against the same opponent, in the same stadium. And both performances were equally dominant.

Verlander’s lone postseason shutout came Oct. 11, 2012, in ALDS Game 5 at the Oakland Coliseum. A spirited five-game set ended quietly, as Verlander punched out 11 A’s, walked one and gave up four hits.

Almost exactly a year later — Oct. 10, 2013 — it was as close to a carbon copy as you could get: Eight shutout innings, 10 strikeouts, one walk, two hits, and Joaquin Benoit on to save it in the ninth. A Miguel Cabrera fourth-inning moonshot off Sonny Gray quieted the 46,959 on hand at the Coliseum.

Yet it was Verlander who snuffed out the opponent’s hopes, as he so often did.

Justin Verlander: Finally, a World Series win

By 2022, the game had changed so much, and when the Astros reached the World Series, we saw that up close: They pitched a World Series no-hitter but needed four pitchers to do so.

A night later, the tension of the game’s past and present collided in the bottom of the fifth inning at Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park.

Verlander was nursing a 2-1 lead when he struck out Rhys Hoskins and J.T. Realmuto to begin the inning. But then Bryce Harper rocketed a double — 115.3 mph off the bat — to right field.

Verlander’s tank was nearly empty, a 39-year-old who’d struck out six and was sitting on 84 pitches. The dangerous Nick Castellanos was at the plate.

Dusty Baker, as old school a manager as you can find, wanted Verlander to notch his first World Series victory in nine tries. He needed just one more out.

Yet the Series was tied, 2-2. A base hit from Castellanos, and the game would be similarly knotted.

Baker let him face Castellanos. And a couple hours later, Baker was searching for Verlander in the visiting clubhouse, wanting to give him the lineup card from his first World Series win. It took him 10 pitches, including five foul balls, but Verlander got a harmless fly ball to left field from Castellanos. Another battle won. Another start, maximized.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Justin Verlander: Five moments that defined a Hall of Fame career

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There are a lot of fun opportunities to fade and back a handful of arms this evening. Here are my three favorite MLB player props and MLB picks from Wednesday’s slate.

Let’s dig in!

Best MLB strikeout props and starting pitcher picks today

Strikeout prop: Slade Cecconi Under 4.5 strikeouts (-170)

My grandparents would be furious that I am fading a fellow Italian, but it has to be done.

Cleveland Guardians starter Slade Cecconi owns the worst matchup strikeout rate on Batters-Box current season dataset this evening as he takes on a red hot Minnesota Twins offense. The Cleveland right-hander has faced a poorly-rated strikeout matchup 22 times over the last three seasons, and during that span, he has gone under this number 54.55% of the time.

Over Cecconi’s last five outings, his strikeout rate has stayed below 16%. Meanwhile, the Twins have been absolutely humming offensively, posting an 18% strikeout rate over their last 21 games. During that stretch, Minnesota owns a 137 wRC+, .366 wOBA, and .842 OPS.

Batters-Box also has the Twins without a single hitter above league average in strikeout rate against Cecconi this evening.

I would alt this down to Under 3.5 for plus money. Do not take this any higher than it is.

• Time: 7:40 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: MNNT, CLEG

Strikeout prop: MacKenzie Gore Over 6.5 strikeouts (-133)

A team that has been nothing short of puke-worthy over its last 12 games is the Los Angeles Angels. Sure, they are a team we all love to take a few punches at from time to time, but during that stretch, their offense is posting just a 69 wRC+, 26.4% strikeout rate, and a brutal 4.6% barrel rate.

I think Texas Rangers southpaw MacKenzie Gore is in an all-time shove spot against this struggling Angels lineup. Six Angels hitters in their last 30 plate appearances own a strikeout rate of at least 23%. Over their last 60 plate appearances against lefties, five hitters are above 25%, with four sitting above 28%.

Gore owns an elite strikeout rating on Batters-Box. In a small sample size of seven elite-rated matchups, he has surpassed this prop in six of them, including two games with 10+ strikeouts. Home is where Gore has really shined, posting a 29.2% strikeout rate while generating a 29.9% chase rate out of the zone.

Over their last 12 games against left-handed pitching, the Angels rank dead-last in chase rate out of the zone at 40.3%. They also own the third-worst strikeout rate and contact rate against lefties during that stretch.

I might have to dabble on Gore to hit 10+ strikeouts this evening. I would not pay much extra juice for this number, so if the price climbs, I would rather look at 8+ strikeouts at plus money.

• Time: 8:05 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: RSN, ABTV

Earned runs prop: Roki Sasaki Over 2.5 earned runs (+114)

I think the Rockies are in a boom spot against Dodgers struggling right hander, Roki Sasaki. According to Batters-Box’s current season dataset, the Rockies own the highest-rated offense on the slate, featuring five strongly rated bats and four with elite ratings. Yes, the entire lineup is in a great spot against the Dodgers right-hander.

On top of that, Colorado has been absolutely humming over the last week, posting a 155 wRC+ over its last six games.

Sakaki in his last three outings he has an 8.53 ERA, 5.61 xERA and 1.74 WHIP. He is allowing hitters to produce nearly 54% hard hit and over 20.5% barrel rate during that stretch as well. 

• Time: 10:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: SNLA, COLR

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

The San Francisco Giants made a roster move on Wednesday, ahead of their series finale matinee against the Toronto Blue Jays. Shortly before first pitch, the team announced that center fielder Jonah Cox had been placed on the 10-Day Injured List, retroactive to July 6, with a left oblique strain. Taking his place on the roster is utility player Jesús Rodríguez.

It’s a tough break for Cox, who wasn’t on many people’s radar to be injured given that he’s hardly playing. The Giants made the shocking move to call him up straight from AA Richmond on May 31, but he’s received just 29 plate appearances in that time, though he’s gotten into 24 games to provide defensive value in center field (and even at second base a touch).

Given that the Giants called him up from AA, there’s a chance that Cox will make his AAA debut while on a rehab assignment, which is a little bit funny.

While Cox’s injury gives the Giants fewer star defensive options, it does improve versatility, as Rodríguez has spent ample time this year at catcher, second base, and left field, and was initially developed as a third baseman. He can play all over, though it’s clear the Giants are currently not high on his ability to catch, as evidenced by the recent promotion of Drew Cavanaugh.

Rodríguez made his MLB debut earlier this year and hit 9-39 with two home runs, three walks, and just five strikeouts, though he’s been scuffling quite a bit in AAA since getting optioned on June 1. There will likely be more moves incoming, as the beat reporters have reported that left-hander Carson Whisenhunt has a locker at Oracle Park, and is likely to start on Thursday.

Well, let’s see if the magic of the toy dragon will work two days in a row. Please Jays score some runs.

Feeling bad for Braydon Fisher and family losing his father. 65 is too young to die.

Braydon Fisher's father, Normand (corrected spelling), was the #BlueJays' biggest fan since his son debuted in the big leagues:

"I don’t think that for the last two years, you’d see him not wearing Blue Jays gear. Not ever. No matter the occasion.” https://t.co/sa4Z9CRYQc

— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) July 8, 2026

Go Jays Go

The Mets are making a flurry of bullpen moves ahead of Wednesday night's game. 

Austin Warren has officially been placed on the 15-day IL with a right forearm strain.

SNY MLB Insider Chelsea Janes confirmed reports earlier in the day that indicated this would be the case, as Warren underwent testing following back-to-back rough outings. 

Warren allowed a combined nine runs on eight hits in his last 2.0 innings of work. 

"Haven't felt great the past couple," he said. "That's part of the game these days, I had outings earlier in the year that I hadn't felt great but went better, I just threw a pitch last night and it didn't feel great so I told them right away."

Warren and the Mets are still awaiting results from the MRI. 

In a corresponding move, righty Tobias Myers has been recalled from Triple-A Syracuse. 

Myers was an extremely valuable piece for New York's staff over the first few months of the season, but like Warren, he was roughed up over his last few big-league appearances. 

He's put together just two clean outings since May 14th, racking up a 10.38 ERA over that span. 

When at his best, though, the 27-year-old has proven to be a versatile weapon in long relief or the late innings. 

Additionally, the Mets DFA'd Matt Seelinger after his rough debut and recalled Xzavion Curry from Triple-A.  

Much as been made by fans following popular baseball prospect site, baseballamerica.com, posting their organizational rankings among all MLB teams. The hometown Phillies ranked as the 29th worst farm system in the league based on prospect talent. This seems bad, huh? For a team with aging stars and up against the luxury tax threshold, an injection of young talent could be the only way to prolong this current run of regular seasons success for the Phillies. You are now thinking, how could they have fallen from 20th (in the preseason ranking) to near dead-last? What might have caused this? Well, two things. The graduation of prospects and the lack of development elsewhere. In regards to the former, it always seems to go over the casual fan’s head that could be a driving factor in these nonsensical rankings (nothing against rankings, I love them…but they are really arbitrary and objective). The Phillies graduated two Top100 MLB prospects in Andrew Painter and Justin Crawford. That is a legit major factor! This doesn’t even factor in struggles by Jean Cabrera, Aroon Escobar, Dante Nori, and Carson DeMartini. Not to mention their best prospect has yet to take the field (a consensus Top20 prospect in the game) in shortstop Aidan Miller.

I’m NOT saying this isn’t time to hit the panic button. Development has stagnated among prospects, especially on the hitting side. It feels any promising prospect hits that AA/AAA wall and nothing ever materializes. Its frustrating! The Phillies need to do a lot better in both drafting and international scouting. It is largely why the last few years the Phillies have needed to sign and trade for talent rather than find it within the organization. It isn’t a sustainable model if you aren’t blowing past the luxury tax.

You may ask, has it always been like this? Haven’t the Phillies had touted prospects and a system not that long ago? Lets look back at 2016, using a similar list from baseballamerica.com (its their preseason ranking, they didn’t do a full 30 for midseason). In 2016, the Phillies ranking 8th in the league. Led by promising names like JP Crawford, Nick Williams, Jake Thompson, and Jorge Alfaro.

Now these are some great names. The Phillies most impactful player wound up being 23rd ranked 1B-only prospect Rhys Hoskins. Who if memory serves me correctly, wasn’t nearly as fawned over as the monstrous OF Dylan Cozens. A lot of the names on here were also acquired via trade including: Nick Williams, Jake Thompson, Jorge Alfaro, Zach Eflin, Nick Pivetta, Darnell Sweeney, Ben Lively, Jimmy Cordero, and Tom Windle. 10 years later, only Hoskins, Crawford, Eflin, and Nick Pivetta remain major leaguers or had significant impacts.

If you were to tell me that there will be less than four impactful players from this year’s midseason Top30 Phillies list, I wouldn’t argue with you. I’m not sure the same amount of pedigree is there as there was in 2016. However, there is still some optimism. Gage Wood looks at a MINIMUM a major league reliever, Aidan Miller will be a major league player once healthy, Francisco Renteria, Alirio Ferrebus and Ramon Marquez are three of the best international signings/prospects the Phillies have ever had in the system. The Phillies should get another good player at 36 in the draft this weekend.

I think its important to put into perspective that 29th in a vacuum doesn’t mean a whole lot and while you can be down on the system overall, to not put much stock in lists and rankings. Read up on these players, watch these players, or at the very least follow people that do and LISTEN.