Justin Verlander will return to the mound on Wednesday as the Houston Astros close out a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox.
Verlander, 41, has been out since June 9 with stiffness in his neck. During a minor league rehab stint, he threw a combined seven innings for the Triple-A Sugar Land Space Cowboys and Double-A Corpus Christi Hooks.
Astros manager Joe Espada said he does not know if Verlander will receive a pitch count in his first MLB start in more than two months.
“We’ll see how the exit goes and how efficient he is,” Espada said. “I don’t want to give a number because he can surprise us. But we’ll definitely keep a close eye on his workload.”
Verlander’s return comes as the Astros lead the Seattle Mariners by five games in the AL West as they race for their fourth straight division title.
It’s also a boost for a rotation that lost Cristian Javier, José Urquidy, JP France, Luis Garcia and Lance McCullers Jr. for the season but has been stable thanks to the performances of Framber Valdez, Yusei Kikuchi, Hunter Brown and Spencer Arrighetti.
The Astros will likely use a six-man rotation with Verlander, giving Ronel Blanco extra rest between starts.
Verlander has made 10 starts for the Astros this season, striking out 51 batters in 57 innings of pitching to go 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 the 2024 season with a shoulder issue.
“It’s great to get JV on the mound. He’s one of the best backs out 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 in the final stretch.”
