Justin Verlander made his second rehab start Wednesday with the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens, the latest sign that the Tigers are getting closer to having their rotation pieces back. The outing came as Toledo hosted a 7:05 p.m. game and as the club kept its eyes on what could come next in the days ahead.
The reason Verlander is drawing attention now is simple: Detroit is trying to sort out a pitching picture that could change fast. Tarik Skubal, Casey Mize and Verlander were all said to be on the verge of returning, and the hope is that Verlander can be activated at some point in the Houston series next week. AJ Hinch, though, made it clear the club is still collecting information before it locks in anything. “We need to digest all this and see what the next steps are,” he said, adding that there was “no rush to plan yet” even with the group close to coming back.
Verlander’s outing also fit into a larger stretch of rehab work for Detroit starters. Casey Mize pitched five innings and threw 55 pitches with Low-A Lakeland on Tuesday night in Clearwater, then said afterward that he had to go to the bullpen and throw a little more, but that everything seemed in line with what the club wanted. He is scheduled to throw a bullpen Thursday and could be in line to pitch in the finale in Cleveland on Sunday. Skubal could return as soon as Saturday against the Guardians in Cleveland, which would give the Tigers another major piece before Verlander’s next step is decided.
The hold-up is not a lack of optimism. It is the kind of fine-tuning that comes with multiple pitchers nearing the finish line at once. Hinch said the club wants everyone back “as healthy as possible and as safe as possible,” and that the plans are still tentative. He also pointed to the reality of recovery work, saying it is about paying attention to symptoms, diagnosis and pain tolerance, not pushing too hard or too fast.
That caution extends to Javier Báez, who has been shut down from baseball activities in Lakeland while rehabbing a high ankle sprain. Hinch described high-ankle sprains as unpredictable and said the return has been choppy, adding that Báez has been grinding and pushing but that “until it subsides, we can’t do much to advance him.” Once Verlander is activated, Báez could be moved to the 60-day injured list to clear space on the 40-man roster, a small roster move that shows how much Detroit’s next week may hinge on health rather than anything more dramatic. For now, the Tigers are waiting on the last evidence before they start turning rehabs into roster moves.
