Justin Verlander will return to the mound on Wednesday when the Houston Astros finish a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox.
Verlander, 41, has been out since June 9 due to neck stiffness. During a rehab stint in the minor leagues, he pitched 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 did not know if Verlander would be given a pitch count during his first MLB start in more than two months.
“We’ll see how the game goes and how efficient he is,” Espada said. “I don’t want to put a number on it because it could surprise us. But we’re going to be very attentive to his workload, for sure.”
Verlander’s return comes as the Astros lead the American League West over the Seattle Mariners by five games as they seek their fourth consecutive division crown.
It’s also a boost for a rotation that has lost Cristian Javier, Jose Urquidy, JP France, Luis Garcia and Lance McCullers Jr. for the season, but has remained stable thanks to the performances of Framber Valdez, Yusei Kikuchi, Hunter Brown and Spencer Arrighetti.
The Astros will likely opt to go with a six-man rotation with Verlander, which would allow Ronel Blanco additional 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 a big deal to have JV on the mound. It’s having one of the best back there,” Espada said. “We know what it means. We know he’s part of this winning culture and having him back is a big boost for our team, especially down the stretch.”