DETROIT — At his locker Friday, Justin Verlander talked through his thoughts and his feelings in real time.Scratched from another start, injured again and yet to pitch at Comerica Park this season, he is asking the same questions as those on the outside.“I’ve always said I want to play until the wheels fall off,” Verlander said. “And I don’t know, maybe they are falling off. I hope not.”After a long recovery from a left hip injury, Verlander was finally scheduled to return to the Tigers on Sunday. It was set to be his first start wearing the Olde English D at Comerica Park since Aug. 20, 2017.Circumstances changed Wednesday in Houston when Verlander went to throw a scheduled bullpen session. He eventually retreated inside and entered manager A.J. Hinch’s office, a distraught look on Verlander’s face. There, Verlander reported a left hamstring injury. Verlander and the Tigers sought further examination, including opinions from multiple doctors. Scans revealed a hamstring strain. The Tigers made the call to shut Verlander down, casting a cloud of more uncertainty over what was once supposed to be a storybook season. Right-hander Keider Montero is expected to pitch Sunday in Verlander’s place.“This is not a matter of days,” Hinch said. “It’s a matter of weeks. We’re going to need a full rehab process to get him back to throwing again. Obviously, frustrating news for him and for us, given the excitement that was building around his start on Sunday.”Verlander’s Tigers entered Friday 14 games below .500. Verlander has pitched only once this year. He left his March 30 outing in Arizona after surrendering five earned runs in 3 2/3 innings. Everything since has been a slow burn.What was once supposed to be a short recovery turned into a stint on the 60-day injured list. As Verlander ramped up his recovery, his mechanics and stuff did not respond the way he hoped. He pitched two rehab games. In his second, he gave up four home runs. He threw a handful of live bullpen sessions, battling varying velocity and mixed results. Monday in Houston, Tigers rookie Hao-Yu Lee tagged Verlander for a single, a double and a home run.“This whole process has been agonizingly long for me,” Verlander said.The Tigers still hoped to activate Verlander this weekend, though the 43-year-old pitcher seemed to be battling his own self-doubt. As a legendary competitor, Verlander hoped the adrenaline of a big-league mound could help bring out his best.