The Detroit Tigers took another important step Saturday in Justin Verlander’s recovery process, but the results were far from dominant.
The 43-year-old veteran threw a simulated game at Kauffman Stadium before Detroit’s matchup against the Kansas City Royals, marking his first appearance against live hitters since landing on the injured list with left hip inflammation back in early April.
While Verlander came away encouraged physically, the Tigers right-hander admitted the outing was not especially sharp.
“I wasn’t as sharp as I would like to be,” Verlander said via the Detroit Free Press. “Physically, it was another step in the right direction. Check the box and keep moving forward.”
Justin Verlander Allows Plenty of Hard Contact
The simulated game lasted two innings and featured Verlander facing Hao-Yu Lee and Wenceel Pérez.
According to Petzold, across 38 pitches, every single hitter put the ball in play.
That stood out immediately.
Verlander generated only four swings and misses during the session while failing to record a strikeout. Several balls were also hit hard, including a fly ball from Pérez that likely would have gone for a double and a line drive from Lee into left-center field that also appeared headed for extra bases.
Lee later added another hard-hit ground ball up the middle that could have been a single in game action.
The positive?
Verlander did not issue any walks.
Tigers Still Taking Cautious Approach
Even with the live session completed, Verlander is not yet ready for a rehab assignment.
The Tigers are expected to send him to Triple-A Toledo for at least one rehab start before considering activating him to the major league roster, but Saturday’s outing showed there is still work to do.
Detroit desperately needs healthy arms right now.
The Tigers are already without Tarik Skubal, Casey Mize, and several others, while Framber Valdez is serving a suspension. That has placed even more attention on Verlander’s recovery timeline.
Still, the organization appears focused more on long-term progress than immediate results.
Verlander Focused on Physical Progress
For Verlander, simply returning to a competitive environment represented meaningful progress.
Saturday marked the first time he had faced hitters since March 30, which was also his only official start of the 2026 season before the hip injury shut him down.
After signing a one-year, $13 million contract to return to Detroit earlier this year, Verlander’s comeback season has barely gotten started.
Now, the future Hall of Famer is simply trying to build momentum one step at a time.
Tigers Hoping Veteran Can Stabilize Rotation
The Tigers entered the season believing Verlander could provide leadership and valuable innings behind Tarik Skubal and Framber Valdez.
Instead, injuries have forced Detroit into survival mode.
That reality makes every Verlander update feel important, even if Saturday’s simulated game was a mixed bag overall.
The velocity and sharpness may not fully be there yet.
But at least Verlander is finally back competing again.
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