Justin Verlander not on the Astros' wild card roster

The Astros announced their Wild Card Series roster this morning, which does not include the struggling veteran Justin Verlander. Houston has a roster of 15 position players, including three catchers, and 11 pitchers for its date with the up-and-coming Tigers.

Verlander, 41, missed a significant portion of the season due to shoulder and neck injuries. Houston reinstated him from the injured list in late August after he was sidelined for more than two months with said neck problems, and while he was solid in his setback (two runs in five innings against the Red Sox), his season declined after that quickly up. The three-time Cy Young winner and future Hall of Famer posted a disastrous 8.89 ERA in his last six starts, including single games in which he scored four, five, six and eight runs. Manager Joe Espada tells the Astros Beat that the conversation with Verlander was “very easy” and credits him as “a true professional” in making the decision (X-Link via Brian McTaggart of MLB.com).

One notable return to the lineup, however, is Jordan Alvarez. The Houston slugger has been out of action for more than a week with a knee injury, but is second in the lineup and serves as Houston's designated hitter. Espada tells the Astros beat that Alvarez is not 100% and likely won't run or slide at full speed (X-Link via Chandler Rome of The Athletic). Still, Alvarez's game-breaking power and overall excellence at bat — he hit .308/.392/.567 with 35 home runs in 147 games — are enough that the 'Stros will live with these deficiencies to move his bat up the order .

The Astros send Framber Valdez to the mound to start Game 1 opposite the Tigers ace Tarik Skubal. They have not yet announced the second and third starters for the potential three-game set. Appetizers Yusei Kikuchi, Hunter Brown, Ronel Blanco And Spencer Arrighetti are all on the playoff roster, as are the replacement players Bryan Abreu, Caleb Ferguson, Josh Hader, Bryan King, Hector Neris And Ryan Pressly.

When it comes to position players, the 'Stros rely on catcher Victor Caratini, Yainer Diaz And Cesar Salazar; Infielder Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, Zach Dezenzo, Mauricio Dubon, Grae Kessinger, Jeremy Pena And Jon Singleton; and outfielders Jason Heyward, Chas McCormick, Jake Meyers And Kyle Tucker. Alvarez, who is listed as an outfielder, is expected to serve as the DH at least in this series given the physical limitations outlined by Espada.