Justin Verlander to undergo Tommy John surgery

Photo by Bob Levey/Getty ImagesJustin Verlander needs Tommy John surgery. The Houston Astros righthanded pitcher announced the news on Instagram today. Verlander, who has been out most of 2020 due to an elbow issue that was initially said would likely cause him to miss the 2020 season, but with a chance he could come back late in the year, will now be out for the 2021 season.

The 37 year old Verlander signed a 2 year, $66 million deal last year that kept him in Houston and let the Astros avoid having both their top pitchers (Verlander and Gerrit Cole) hit the free agent market after 2019. Verlander will now be a free agent after next offseason, assuming he chooses to go through surgery and…