Justin Verlander will return to the mound on Wednesday as the Houston Astros finish off a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox.
Verlander, 41, has been out since June 9 due to stiffness in his neck. During a minor league rehab stint he threw a total of seven innings for the Triple-A Sugar Land Space Cowboys and Double-A Corpus Christi Hooks.
Astros manager Joe Espada said he doesn’t know whether Verlander will be on a pitch count during his first MLB start in over two months.
“We’ll see how the outing goes and how efficient he is,” Espada said. “I don’t want to put a number because he can surprise us. But we’re going to keep a close eye on his workload for sure.”
Verlander’s return comes at a time where the Astros lead the AL West over the Seattle Mariners by five games as they seek their fourth consecutive division crown.
It is also a boost to a rotation that has lost Cristian Javier, José Urquidy, J.P. France, Luis Garcia and Lance McCullers Jr. for the season, but has been steady thanks to the performances of Framber Valdez, Yusei Kikuchi, Hunter Brown and Spencer Arrighetti.
The Astros will likely go with a six-man rotation with Verlander, allowing Ronel Blanco extra rest between starts.
Verlander has made 10 starts for the Astros this season and has 51 strikeouts in 57 innings pitched, along with a 1.21 WHIP and .242 opponent batting average. This was his second stint on the injured list after missing the start of 2024 with a shoulder issue.
“It’s big getting JV on the mound. It’s getting one of the best back in there,” Espada said. “We know what he means. We know he’s part of this winning culture and getting him back is a big boost for our team, especially down the stretch.”
