The New York Mets placed right-hander Justin Verlander on the injured list with a low-grade muscle strain near his pitching shoulder, the team announced on Thursday.
The injury is to Verlander's teres major (a muscle that connects the scapula to the upper arm) and he will continue to throw at "moderate intensity" with a reevaluation scheduled for next week.
The injury popped up following a bullpen session Wednesday after Verlander's velocity fell in his final spring training start. The team did not hint there was any injury until the announcement on Thursday.
"This isn't best-case scenario," Verlander told the media in Miami.