Justin Verlander breaks silence on rehab start, potential return to Astros rotation

Houston Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander is getting close to returning to the team’s rotation, as he has made a few rehab starts, and he addressed the possibility of starting at some point this week.

“I think pitch-count wise, I think it’s pretty close and health-wise I bounce back all the ways I would like to have seen,” Justin Verlander said, via Leah Vann on X.

When Verlander arrived in Spring Training, he had to be slow with ramping up due to an injury. He is a really important piece of the Astros rotation. The good news is that Verlander said he is recovering better now than he was back then.

“Some of the things that have been difficult to do are becoming easier and easier,” Verlander said, via Vann. “I kind of checked all the boxes that needed to be checked. I’m ready to step on the mound again, whether that’s for us or somebody else, that’s their decision.”

This is great news for the Astros, and much needed. The early season struggles have a lot to do with the pitching staff not performing well. To add to Verlander’s absence, Framber Valdez suffered an injury as well. The injury to Framber Valdez is significant because he was expected to be the ace of the staff at the start of the season without Verlander. The two pitchers would form a formidable one-two punch if they can be healthy at the same time at some point this season.

Astros’ slow start and season outlook

Amid the injuries to Verlander and Valdez, the Astros have gotten off to a 6-11 start to the season, which as mentioned before, has a lot to do with the struggles of the pitching staff. It is not too surprising, given the absences. However, Houston would like to avoid digging much more of a hole for the rest of April and May.

The Astros won two out of three against the rival Texas Rangers over the weekend, and hope that brings some momentum into this week’s series against the Atlanta Braves. At some point, Verlander could return to the fold after making a few rehab starts.

After the series against the Braves, the Astros will play games against the Washington Nationals, Chicago Cubs, Colorado Rockies and Cleveland Guardians to finish the April schedule.

The priority will be getting Verlander and Valdez back into the rotation and making starts every fifth day. With the injuries that have hit pitchers this season, the Astros might be careful. Neither Verlander nor Valdez have suffered season-ending injuries like other pitchers around the league have, but it could be wise to play it slow with their returns.

It will be worth monitoring the Astros’ roster moves to see if Verlander will make his return this week.