Justin Verlander is using the interruption to the Major League season to recover from surgery.
The Houston Astros ace has undergone surgery on his right groin and is expected to be out about six weeks.
The timing gives Verlander time to heal before opening day, which has been pushed back to mid-May at the earliest because of the new coronavirus.
Verlander dealt with the problem early in spring training.
His first start was delayed until March 3 because of discomfort in his right groin. He recorded a 3.86 in 4 2/3 innings over two spring starts.