Justin Verlander’s return to the Detroit Tigers continues its shaky start. The veteran pitcher was placed on the 15-day injured list with left hip inflammation, the team announced on Saturday.

Verlander, 43, had a difficult season debut in a 9-6 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday. He allowed five runs on six hits and two walks, with only one strikeout in 3 2/3 innings.

Prior to Friday’s home opener at Comerica Park, Verlander spoke with reporters about his return to Detroit but also highlighted mechanical flaws that could be fixed to improve his next performance.

“Hips and head position,” Verlander said, via The Athletic’s Cody Stavenhagen. “Trying to be a little more deceptive and stay in line a little bit longer. “

“I hope it’s not like last year, where I spent months trying to find it,” he added. “Hopefully, it gets right a little quicker than that. Talking to the analysts, they said the stuff was actually pretty good. I’m not that far away, I don’t think.”

Verlander caught the ceremonial first pitch from former teammate Brandon Inge before the Tigers’ 4-0 win over the St. Louis Cardinals.

However, after a throwing session on Saturday, the decision was made to put Verlander on the IL. He was scheduled to start Sunday night’s game versus the Cardinals. Instead, Keider Montero was called up from Triple-A and will take Verlander’s turn in the rotation.

Montero, 23, appeared in 20 games for the Tigers last season, making 12 starts. He finished with a 4.37 ERA and 70 strikeouts in 90 2/3 innings. Pitching for Venezuela in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, Montero allowed two runs and five hits in 4 1/3 innings, making one start.

Verlander signed a one-year, $13 million deal with the Tigers, returning to Detroit nine seasons since he was traded to the Houston Astros in 2017.

No Anthony Edwards and no Cade Cunningham, but the Minnesota Timberwolves and Detroit Pistons still played a thrilling game between NBA playoff contenders on Thursday night.

Jalen Duran scored 22 points with 14 rebounds, four assists and two blocks, leading Detroit to a 113-108 home win. And Daniss Jenkins — who has been the revelation of the Pistons’ season — added 26 points (hitting both of his 3-point tries) with five rebounds and eight assists.

Fresh off earning NBA Defensive Player of the Month honors, Ausar Thompson tallied seven points, nine rebounds, nine assists, two steals and three blocks.

The Pistons have won four of their past five games and eight of their last 10 . Without Cunningham, they’ve gone 7-2 and maintained a 4.5-game lead over the Boston Celtics for the top seed in the Eastern Conference at 56-21 with five games remaining on their regular-season schedule.

Detroit and Minnesota were tied 54-54 at halftime and the T-Wolves held a 80-79 going into the fourth quarter. The two teams traded leads four times before Minnesota went ahead 87-83 on two Julius Randle free throws.

From there, however, the Pistons went on a 20-5 run capped off by a Duncan Robinson 3-pointer to go ahead 103-92 with three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Minnesota cut Detroit’s lead to 109-106 on an Ayo Dosunmu basket and free throw with 17.6 seconds left. But the Pistons put the game away at the free throw line with Jenkins making two, followed by another pair from Javonte Green.

Randle led all scorers with 27 points for the Timberwolves, adding six rebounds and six assists with co-owner Alex Rodriguez in attendance at Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena.

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Dosunmu and Naz Reid each contributed 19 points. Reid also grabbed six boards, shooting 4-for-8 on 3-pointers. Minnesota dropped to 46-30, one game behind the Houston Rockets for the West’s fifth seed but 4.5 games ahead of the Phoenix Suns for the No. 6 spot.

The Pistons may have lost another player to injury. Tobias Harris left the game in the second quarter with a left knee contusion and did not return. Detroit coach J.B. Bickerstaff did not have an update on Harris’ condition after the game. But the Pistons are already missing Cunningham (who’s been sidelined for nine games) and Isaiah Stewart (out the past 11 games with a left calf strain).

Both the Pistons and Timberwolves face the Philadelphia 76ers (42-34) on the road next, with Minnesota visiting them on Friday followed by Detroit on Saturday.

When the 2025-26 NBA season ends for the Los Angeles Lakers, two questions will follow LeBron James into the offseason.

First, will he decide to play a 24th season or retire? Second, if he does play, will that be with the Lakers or another team? Could he return for a third turn with the Cleveland Cavaliers? Might he finally go to the New York Knicks?

Another question that probably wouldn’t have been asked but can now be safely answered: If he does play, James will not suit up for the Memphis Grizzlies next season.

Appearing on the “Bob Does Sports” YouTube show, James said he “might have pulled an Eli Manning” if the Grizzlies had won the 2003 NBA Draft lottery. (The Memphis remarks begin at the 10:55 mark.)

The conversation about Memphis began when James was asked if the travel during an NBA season got to him. After disparaging staying at a Hyatt in Milwaukee at 41 years old, he followed up by saying, “You think I want to do that, being in Memphis on a random-ass Thursday?”

James then revealed that his feelings about the city are shared by several NBA players.

“We all like, ‘You guys have to move,’” he continued. “Let’s go over to Nashville. You got Vanderbilt over there. You got the f****ing NASCAR. You got a stadium. Don’t they got a hockey team too?”

Host Robby Berger then said to the camera, “Doesn’t look like LeBron’s going to be on the Grizzlies any time soon.”

James responded, “Yeah, they know. Their only chance was in 2003 if they would’ve won the lottery. And I might have pulled an Eli Manning and not shown up.”

The Manning remark was a reference to the 2004 NFL Draft when the quarterback and his agent reportedly told the San Diego Chargers that he wouldn’t play for them even if he was drafted No. 1 overall. The Chargers did select him, but traded him to the New York Giants for Philip Rivers.

Serendipitously, the Cleveland Cavaliers won the No. 1 overall pick and the Akron, Ohio native went to his home area team.

Memphis ended up with the No. 13 selection and drafted Marcus Banks out of UNLV, then traded him to the Boston Celtics. (The Grizzlies actually won the No. 2 pick, but had to trade it to the Detroit Pistons as a condition of a 1997 trade that sent Otis Thorpe to Memphis. The Pistons selected Darko Milicic.)

If James and his fellow NBA players get their wish for the Grizzlies to relocate to Memphis, it likely wouldn’t happen until 2029 when the team’s lease with FedEx Forum expires. James will almost certainly be retired by then. And maybe the Grizzlies will be competitive after a rebuild started by trading Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr., with Ja Morant expected to be next.