Justin Verlander on 7-day plan, targeting potential final appearance vs. Pirates

What happened

Justin Verlander threw off a mound and, per The Athletic's Cody Stavenhagen and others, touched 93 mph during the session — a positive sign for a pitcher who has made exactly one appearance in 2026. Manager A.J. Hinch told Stavenhagen and others that Verlander is now on a seven-day plan that includes a pair of bullpen sessions and some form of elevated work — a live batting practice or simulated game — during the club's upcoming stop in Chicago. That Chicago session, Hinch explained, is designed to push the intensity and volume further, which would then put Verlander on track for another seven days after that, potentially aligning him with Detroit's final regular-season series against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Hinch was careful not to treat that Pirates series as a guarantee. He noted that Verlander still has "some questions to answer" about how he feels physically, and AJ Eustace of MLB Trade Rumors reports that no firm commitment has been made. Per the report, the goal is a farewell appearance at Comerica Park before the retirement Verlander announced in July — though whether that happens depends on what the next several sessions reveal.

Why it matters

Verlander rejoined the Tigers on a one-year, $13MM contract in February, with $11MM of that guarantee deferred. The deal was grounded in a reasonable premise: in 29 starts with the Giants in 2025, he posted a 3.85 ERA, suggesting he could still function as a serviceable backend starter while mentoring Detroit's younger arms. That premise lasted 3 2/3 innings.

Verlander was placed on the 15-day injured list on April 1st with left hip inflammation — the day after his lone start of the season on March 30th. He was transferred to the 60-day IL on May 10th. A pair of rehab starts in early June offered a brief window of optimism, but a hamstring strain closed it. He has not pitched in a major-league game since that March 30th debut.

What's being attempted now is, by any measure, an unusual path back. Per Hinch's comments as reported by Stavenhagen, Verlander would be forgoing a minor-league rehab stint — the minor-league season is winding down anyway, which removes that option as a practical matter. At best, he will have worked through simulated game action before any potential appearance. MLB Trade Rumors notes that an abbreviated start or a bullpen appearance seem most likely under those circumstances, given the limited ramp-up time available.

The operational stakes are modest in the standings sense. The emotional stakes, for a franchise that has watched Verlander grow into one of the sport's most decorated starters, are something else entirely.

The numbers

Verlander's 2025 season with San Francisco — a 3.85 ERA across 29 starts — is the most recent full-season data point the report provides, and it was the foundation for the Tigers' decision to bring him back. His lone 2026 outing lasted 3 2/3 innings before the hip inflammation ended his spring.

The Tigers enter this stretch at 70-79 (.470), sitting 4th in the AL Central, 6 games back of the division lead, and 5.5 games outside the Wild Card cut line, where they rank 8th. They are riding a four-game winning streak.

Where the club stands

Detroit's current four-game winning streak is a welcome development for a team that, a week removed from losing three walk-off games in the same series against the Guardians in Cleveland, needed something to go right. At 70-79, the Tigers are not a postseason club in any realistic sense — 5.5 games outside the Wild Card cut line with the calendar deep into September is a gap that tends to stay a gap.

The upcoming schedule takes Detroit to Rogers Centre for three games against the Toronto Blue Jays, with Troy Melton projected to start Monday, Drew Anderson on Tuesday, and Wednesday's starter listed as TBD against Max Scherzer. The Chicago stop Hinch referenced — where Verlander's live BP or simulated game is planned — follows that Toronto series on the schedule.

The final regular-season series against Pittsburgh, the one Verlander is reportedly targeting, sits at the end of that road. Whether he gets there depends on what those intermediate sessions reveal.

What we don't know yet

Hinch's "some questions to answer" framing is doing real work here. The specific nature of those questions — how Verlander's hip and hamstring respond to increased intensity, whether the simulated game in Chicago goes cleanly, what his workload ceiling looks like after months away — remains unaddressed in the reporting. MLB Trade Rumors notes it is unclear what role Verlander would be used in if he does make it back, with an abbreviated start or bullpen appearance described as the most likely scenarios, not settled plans.

The report also does not address roster mechanics in any specific way — whether a roster move would be required, what the club's 40-man situation looks like, or how the September roster expansion factors into the timeline. Those details are not in the material.

What to watch

The Chicago stop is the next meaningful checkpoint. Hinch's comments, as reported by Stavenhagen, frame the live BP or simulated game there as the session that will determine whether the second seven-day block — the one that would align Verlander with the Pirates series — is even viable. If that session raises concerns, the plan adjusts. If it goes well, the conversation about a Comerica Park farewell becomes more concrete.

A week removed from the Guardians walk-off series and with the Tigers now on a four-game winning streak, the club's September has taken on a different texture than it had. Jack Flaherty, who completed his first rehab outing with Triple-A Toledo as reported earlier this month, is also working toward an end-of-year return, adding another layer to how Detroit manages its final weeks. River Ryan, who made his Triple-A debut in the Tigers organization in recent days, represents yet another arm the club is monitoring as the roster picture develops.

None of that changes what Verlander's potential return means in isolation. A 43-year-old pitcher, one start into what became a lost season, throwing 93 mph off a mound and working toward one last afternoon at Comerica Park — the baseball is almost beside the point. Almost.