The Houston Astros ace Justin Verlander will have two rehab starts in Triple-A before returning from the Injured List. The news was confirmed by Astros manager Joe Espada in a recent chat with reporters.
Verlander started the 2024 MLB season on IL due to a shoulder inflammation he experienced leading to spring training. He is now fully recovered and will have the opportunity to build up his pitch count with Astros’ Triple-A affiliate Sugar Land.
Verlander’s first start with Sugar Land will come on Saturday, and if that goes well, he will have one more outing in the minors before resuming MLB action.
“Just based on what I’ve seen and out of his live BPs and how he’s talking about how he feels, I think two starts,” said Espada of Verlander’s timeline for coming off the IL. “Should be good enough.”
The Astros badly need Verlnader back considering their poor start of the season. They were swept in the opening series against the New York Yankees and are currently sitting at 2-5.
Justin Verlander initially left the Houston Astros during the 2023 offseason to sign a lucrative deal with the New York Mets. However, he only made 16 starts with the Mets before being traded back to Houston.
The three-time AL Cy Young Award winner ended up making 11 starts with the Astros to close out the season, going 7-3 with a 3.31 ERA and 63 strikeouts.
