One bullpen at a time, Justin Verlander is making his way back to the mound. Very slowly, semi-surely.
Sidelined for about about a month with left hip inflammation, Verlander threw a bullpen session on Wednesday and is scheduled to throw another this weekend at Comerica Park.
"That’s a step in the right direction," A.J. Hinch said Friday afternoon.
Trouble is, the bullpens haven't been as smooth as Verlander or the Tigers would like.
A.J. Hinch w an update on Justin Verlander, who throws a bullpen this wknd: "He’s still kind of fighting through it"
"It just means that it’s slow. If people are wondering about him, he’s pretty frustrated that it’s not going faster, but we gotta pay attention to the symptoms." pic.twitter.com/Wto2QJZQ2x
— 97.1 The Ticket: (@971theticketxyt) May 1, 2026
"We’re really just trying to get through the bullpens without symptoms," said Hinch. "That’s why we’re really just doing one step at a time. The hope is that he’s able to add more and more every session. He’s been able to do that slowly, but I just don’t know (a timeline) until we get him past this little hump of the bullpens being asymptomatic.
"He’s still kind of fighting through it, which doesn’t mean he should be shut down or changed. It just means that it’s slow. If people are wondering about him, he’s pretty frustrated that it’s not going faster and doing its best, but we’ve gotta pay attention to the symptoms."
Soreness has been the main issue for the 43-year-old Verlander, who remains on the 15-day injured list. He dealt with a pec injury in the early stages of last season with the Giants, but returned to pitch very well in the second half. He was hit hard in his first and only start with the Tigers this season before landing on the shelf.
Are the Tigers better or worse than you expected at the start of the season? pic.twitter.com/PpQ8nf4B58
— 97.1 The Ticket: (@971theticketxyt) May 1, 2026
In other injury news for the Tigers, utility man Zach McKinstry (hip/abdominal injury) is being advanced to Triple-A Toledo this weekend on his rehab assignment, while pitcher Troy Melton (elbow strain) will start a rehab assignment Sunday with Low-A Lakeland.
And reliever Beau Brieske (groin strain) threw a live bullpen Friday in Lakeland, "so he’s trending toward getting a little bit more active as well," said Hinch.
"That’s the positive news," he said.
Not so positive: Detroit's best reliever Will Vest is "not 100 percent," said Hinch, who did not share any further details. Vest's velocity has been noticeably down this season, contributing to his ERA of 6.17 through 13 games.
