Houston ace Justin Verlander underwent Tommy John surgery to repair his right elbow, Astros general manager James Click announced Thursday.
Verlander, who had the surgery Wednesday, is expected to be out 12 to 14 months. That would keep Verlander out until the 2022 season.
Verlander, 37, last pitched July 24, the team’s season opener in the shortened 2020 campaign.
Verlander originally landed on the injured list with what was described as a forearm strain following his 73-pitch performance against the Seattle Mariners. He said his arm felt tender after giving up two runs on three hits in six innings while walking one and striking out seven in the 8-2 win in Houston.
Verlander won his second American League Cy Young Award last season after going 21-6 with a 2.58 ERA and 300 strikeouts in 223 innings.
For his career, the eight-time All-Star is 226-129 with a 3.33 ERA. He has 3,013 strikeouts in 2,988 innings with the Detroit Tigers (2005-17) and Astros. He was the AL Rookie of the Year in 2006 and collected his first Cy Young and the AL Most Valuable Player award in 2011.
Verlander signed a two-year, $66 million extension in March 2019 that keeps him with the Astros through the 2021 season. He will be a 39-year-old free agent heading into the 2022 season if not resigned by Houston.