Justin Verlander is scheduled to make his second minor league rehab start this week and might rejoin the Houston Astros’ rotation afterward.
The 41-year-old right-hander took a step toward returning to the Astros by pitching three innings for Triple-A Sugar Land on Saturday night. The three-time Cy Young Award winner has been out for two months due to neck stiffness.
“He bounced back well,” Houston manager Joe Espada said before Monday night’s game at Tampa Bay. “He feels well. He feels good.”
Verlander has not pitched in the majors since June 9. He also missed the start of the season with right shoulder inflammation and went 3-2 with a 3.95 ERA in 10 starts. His season debut was on April 19.
In other injury updates, Houston outfielder Kyle Tucker took flyballs off a fungo bat for the first time since fouling a ball off his right shin on June 3 against St. Louis. He also ran short sprints, did agility drills, and hit in an indoor batting cage.
“I’m very pleased,” Espada said. “I think he’s turning the corner. Now, we’ve got to improve from what we saw today. We’ve got to see more of that. He’s tolerating the pain better. He’s able to move around and he’s recovering much better, which is huge.”
