Verlander was placed on the 15-day injured list Thursday with a low-grade teres major strain, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
Verlander had been lined up to start the Mets' third regular-season game Saturday in Miami, but now he's at risk of missing much of April. Per an announcement from the club, the veteran right-hander will "continue throwing at moderate intensity" before undergoing new scans of his upper right arm next week. He inked a two-year, $86.67 million contract with New York over the winter. Tylor Megill will fill his spot in the rotation for the time being.