DETROIT -- The Tigers already announced their plans to celebrate Justin Verlander’s career on the final weekend of the regular season. They’re getting closer to getting Verlander on track to pitch during it, one final outing for a 21-year career where it all began.
It’s still a work in progress, but the Tigers and Verlander are aiming to have him ready to pitch on Saturday, Sept. 26, the next-to-last day of the regular season and the final day of the Verlander Career Celebration the Tigers announced earlier this month. His mound session Saturday, which included fastballs reportedly topping out at 93 mph, puts him on track for a return.
The Tigers have Verlander on a schedule based around that target date. He’ll throw a couple bullpen sessions this week before throwing a simulated game next weekend in Chicago. If all goes well, they’ll line him up for the final Saturday.
“In pencil, we’re aiming for that last weekend, which we know is going to be an emotional, important weekend for him,” manager A.J. Hinch said Sunday morning. “But also, if we can get him in that series, roughly on that Saturday, that would be at that seven-day cadence.
“He’s got a lot of mound sessions between then. He’s got some questions to answer. I’m cautious to throw it out there too firm because a lot of things can happen between now and then.”
Verlander hasn’t pitched at Comerica Park as a Tiger since Aug. 20, 2017, 11 days before his trade to the Astros. His return has been anticipated ever since he signed a one-year deal with the Tigers in February. But his only outing so far this year was a March 30 start at Arizona. He went on the injured list after that with left hip inflammation, postponing his Comerica Park return. He was set to return from the IL at home in June, but a left hamstring strain postponed that.
“He’s really battling,” Hinch said. “But we can’t have a setback of any sort, and I don’t want to make a false promise.”
Those disappointments have sat with Verlander all summer.
“Obviously, I’m quite disappointed with how this season’s gone,” Verlander said. “But I’ve heard a lot of fans here at home and in different cities that go, ‘JV, come on, just give us one more. I’d love to see you.’
“That’s been inspiring. It would be really easy to give up, but it’s not what got me to this point in my career, and it’s just not who I am.”
The closest Verlander has come to pitching again in Detroit was a rehab start at Triple-A Toledo on June 10. There was some speculation about another potential rehab start this time around, but with time of the essence, they’ll do the simulated work instead.
“Obviously we’re going to expedite this thing,” Verlander said. “We’re trying to be smart and balance what I need to do to prove that I can go out there and get to 100 percent with not hurting it.”
The caution is to make sure he can get back on the mound. Once he’s there, he can pitch like there’s no tomorrow.
“We’re not following the normal script for rehab players,” Verlander said. “I mean, there’s no point. I told these guys: 'What are we saving my arm for?' It doesn’t make a lot of sense.
“I think clearly there’s some underlying stuff there with the hamstring, but it just is what it is. I mean, there’s a chance that I could seriously hurt myself, but it’s part of being a professional athlete at 43.”
But there’s also the flip side.
“I hope to go out there and, if I’m pitching successfully, I don’t just want to go out there and throw a couple pitches and get off the mound,” Verlander said. “Ideally, I’d like to be out there and have a good start.”