Justin Verlander’s name popped up in All-Star news on Wednesday, but the bigger headline came right after.
According to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand, the Detroit Tigers right-hander was selected as a “Legends Pick” for this season’s All-Star Game. He won’t pitch in the game, but MLB still named him an All-Star this year.
Not long after that announcement, Verlander delivered the news that will define the rest of his career: the 2026 season will be his last. He said he plans to retire from Major League Baseball when the season ends.
“... 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,” Verlander writes. “Over the last several months, I've realized that time has come.
While I'm fully committed to giving my team everything I have for the rest of this season, I've decided this will be my last.”
That means Verlander is heading into his 21st big league season, and his 14th with the Tigers, knowing it will be his final run.
The 43-year-old is currently on the injured list, and his only start this season was a rough one: five runs allowed in 3.2 innings at the start of the year. Even so, that line barely dents what he has built over a Hall of Fame career.
Across 556 games and 3,571.1 innings pitched, Verlander has piled up 82.3 bWAR, 266 wins, a 3.33 ERA, nine shutouts, and 3,554 strikeouts.
His resume also includes an MVP award, three Cy Young Awards, Rookie of the Year honors, 10 All-Star selections, and two World Series championships.
“It’s fitting I get to finish where it all started - with the Detroit Tigers, the organization that drafted me and gave me my first opportunity,” Verlander said.
The Tigers took him No. 2 overall in the 2004 MLB Draft, and he grew into one of the sport’s defining pitchers. After stops with the Houston Astros, New York Mets, and San Francisco Giants, Verlander says he’ll try to come back during the 2026 season first.
“But first, I'm excited to finish this season the only way I know how - with everything I've got.”
When he becomes eligible, Verlander is expected to reach the Hall of Fame in five years. For now, though, the focus is on one last season - and then one final goodbye.
In Other News...
Bryce Rainer May Be Forcing A Tough Tigers Decision
Bryce Rainer keeps giving the Tigers reasons to pay attention. The top prospect has been productive since his promotion from Single-A, and his latest High-A statement came on July 8, when he collected five hits and drove every one of them with authority, each one leaving the bat at 109 mph or harder. For a player already batting .293/.401/.505 with nine homers and 45 RBIs, it was another reminder that the tools are real and the bat speed plays.
The challenge for Detroit is figuring out how much patience to pair with that upside. Rainers offensive ceiling is obvious, but the swing-and-miss has not disappeared, with 109 strikeouts in 260 at-bats still hanging over the profile. If he keeps forcing the issue, the next move could come soon, and the Tigers will have to decide how aggressively to push a player who already looks like he is starting to outgrow the level. [Read more 🡒]
Spencer Torkelson Is Becoming A Real Tigers Problem Again
Spencer Torkelsons season has been a reminder that power alone does not always smooth out the edges of a lineup. The Tigers have seen the home run bursts that made him such an important part of their middle order, but they have also lived with the stretches when the contact disappears and the at-bats turn empty. With a batting average around .208, 16 homers and 43 RBIs, the overall line still carries some punch, but it has not been nearly steady enough for a club trying to climb in the AL Wild Card race.
A.J. Hinch has already tried to shake things up by moving Torkelson around the batting order, from fourth to seventh, in search of a better fit and a little more consistency. What the Tigers need now is not another isolated power run, but dependable production in the spots where rallies are supposed to start and finish. Until Torkelson strings together more complete nights, every quiet stretch keeps putting more pressure on a team that cannot afford too many wasted chances. [Read more 🡒]
Former Tigers Prospect Daz Cameron Just Resurfaced Again
Daz Cameron has resurfaced again, this time on a minor league contract with the Blue Jays after most recently playing for the Doosan Bears in the Korea Baseball Organization. For Tigers fans, the name still carries some familiarity, since Cameron spent parts of the first three seasons of his career in Detroit before continuing his journey through Oakland and Milwaukee.
The latest stop adds another layer to a career that has already taken him well beyond the path many former prospects follow. Cameron, the son of former big leaguer Mike Cameron, has kept finding new opportunities to extend his run in professional baseball, and Toronto will now get a closer look at what he can still provide. [Read more 🡒]