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Justin Verlander targets next start

MLB, Detroit Tigers

A day after being removed from his Grapefruit League start, Justin Verlander was not worried about missing any time in his spring training preparation for the looming regular season.

The 32-year-old Detroit Tigers right-hander left his spring training outing against the Toronto Blue Jays in the third inning Friday due to cramping in his right triceps.

Verlander admitted on Saturday morning he felt soreness similar to what forced him from Friday's start but that his level of concern about his throwing arm is "pretty low."

Verlander's next start is tentatively set for Thursday, giving him an extra day of rest between Friday's abbreviated appearance and his next. The extra day allows him and Detroit's training staff to "manipulate things forward if need be" if the arm issue becomes a larger concern.

Verlander arrived early at Joker Merchant Stadium on Saturday but did not undergo an MRI or other tests on the triceps. The 2011 AL MVP and Cy Young Award winner noted the next few days will determine whether the injury is classified as a cramp or a strain.

"We kind of all assumed I'd be sore today," he told reporters, according to MLB.com. "It's really [a question of] how it bounces back in the next couple days. That'll tell us a lot more about the injury, I guess, whether it's a mild strain or whether it was just a cramp. Either way, even if it was just a very mild strain, it's still, like I said, very mild."

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