Justin Verlander already knows when the Detroit Tigers will celebrate his career.

What he still does not know is whether he will get to finish it where he wants to finish it: standing on a Major League mound.

Verlander is expected to throw off a mound Saturday as he continues working back from left hip inflammation and a left hamstring strain, according to MLB’s latest Tigers injury update. If his body responds, the 43-year-old could advance to a rehab assignment and potentially pitch for Detroit before his retirement becomes official at the end of the season.

That makes Saturday considerably more important than a routine September bullpen session.

Verlander has already announced that 2026 will be his final season. Detroit has already planned the goodbye.

Now he is trying to make sure the goodbye includes one more actual pitch.

Verlander Is Running Out of Calendar

This entire Tigers reunion has been a fight against time.

Verlander returned to Detroit in February, but his season has included only one Major League start. Left hip inflammation sent him to the injured list in April, and just when a June return appeared imminent, he strained his hamstring during a bullpen session and was scratched from what was supposed to be his Comerica Park comeback.

That setback was particularly cruel because Verlander had already completed two Toledo rehab starts and a simulated game. He was close enough that Detroit had announced his return date before everything changed.

At the time, Verlander admitted the sequence of injuries had entered unfamiliar territory, but he also made clear that he intended to keep pushing for another opportunity.

That determination became more meaningful once Verlander announced in July that this season would be his last.

There is no 2027 comeback plan waiting if this attempt fails.

One More Start Would Be About More Than Statistics

Verlander recently acknowledged exactly what he is chasing.

“I’m not giving up,” Verlander said while discussing his attempt to get healthy enough for one or possibly two final appearances.

There is also a line Verlander does not want to cross.

He has made clear that he does not want Detroit handing him an appearance purely for ceremonial reasons if he cannot compete. That matters. A pitcher with Verlander’s career does not need a manufactured farewell inning.

He wants to pitch.

There is a difference.

Detroit has scheduled a two-day Justin Verlander career celebration for Sept. 25 and 26 at Comerica Park. There will be tributes, giveaways, videos and plenty of opportunities for Tigers fans to thank one of the greatest pitchers in franchise history.

Those events are guaranteed.

One last trip to the mound is not.

Saturday Could Decide Whether the Farewell Changes

That is what makes this stage of the comeback fascinating.

Nobody needs September results to determine what Verlander meant to the Tigers. His place in franchise history was settled years ago. Another start is not going to meaningfully alter his Hall of Fame résumé, either.

The question is much simpler.

Can his body give him one more day?

If Verlander gets through the next throwing progression without another setback, a rehab appearance could follow. From there, Detroit would have to decide whether he is healthy and effective enough to face Major League hitters before the schedule disappears.

The Tigers can plan ceremonies.

They can schedule tributes.

They cannot schedule a healthy hamstring.

Verlander has spent most of his career dictating how games end. Before he retires, he is trying to earn the chance to dictate the ending of his career, too.