Detroit Tigers veteran pitcher Justin Verlander is scheduled to take the mound for Triple-A Toledo on Tuesday, marking his return to competitive play following a left hip injury sustained in late March.
The 43-year-old right-handed pitcher finished two simulated games prior to starting his rehabilitation assignment with the Mud Hens.
Verlander was sidelined on the 15-day injured list due to left hip inflammation on April 4, following his designation as a three-time Cy Young Award recipient.
Tuesday’s matchup against Iowa in Des Moines will mark Verlander’s first game action since giving up five runs on six hits over 3 2/3 innings during Detroit’s 9-6 defeat to Arizona on March 30, his only outing this season in what is his 21st campaign.
“Getting him into competition is something that we’ve been pushing for and he’s been pushing for,” manager A.J. Hinch said before Sunday’s series finale against the host Chicago White Sox. “We feel like we can take a normal start and deal with odds and ends of a start, whether it’s various pitch counts, ups and downs. He can pitch significant innings.”
While Verlander has worked up to around 70 pitches during his recovery, the length of his rehab assignment remains uncertain. According to the Detroit Free Press, he will rejoin Detroit on Wednesday to reconnect with the team following their road trip to Tampa.
“I’m happy that he’s getting to that next step,” Hinch said. “I don’t know what it means or how many innings he’s even going to go.”
The nine-time All-Star, two-time World Series champion and 2011 American League MVP holds a career record of 266-159 with a 3.33 ERA and 3,554 strikeouts across 556 career starts with four different teams.
In other roster news Sunday, the Tigers brought back outfielder/DH Kerry Carpenter from the 10-day injured list while sending infielder Gage Workman down to Toledo.
Carpenter was placed on the IL with a left shoulder sprain on May 10, just one day after colliding with the wall in right field during an inside-the-park home run by Kansas City Royals star Bobby Witt Jr.
The 28-year-old Carpenter remained in the contest following Witt’s first-inning homer but departed two innings later due to the sprained AC joint. This season, he’s hitting .216 with six homers and 17 RBIs across 37 games.
Workman, 26, posted a .158 average with two home runs and five RBIs in 16 games after being promoted to fill Carpenter’s roster spot.
