Houston Astros Schedule Ace’s First Injury Rehab Start

The Houston Astros are ready to move their top reinforcement to an injury rehab assignment in the minor leagues.

Aug 4, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander (35) walks to the dugout prior to the game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Minute Maid Park. / Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports

Nearly two months ago the Houston Astros scratched their Cy Young winner from a start for neck stiffness.

Now, Justin Verlander is ready to get back on the mound in a real game — at Triple-A Sugar Land.

The Astros announced on Thursday that Verlander would make his first rehab start for the Space Cowboys at Constellation Field on Saturday, with first pitch set for 7:05 p.m.

Verlander told reporters earlier this week that he expects two rehab games will be needed to get ready to return to the Majors.

This will mark the 41-year-old right-hander’s first appearance in a live game since June 9 against the Los Angeles Angels.

After that game, Houston made the decision to scratch Verlander from his start against his former team, the Detroit Tigers, due to the neck stiffness. He admitted afterward that he was trying to pitch through it for the two weeks prior to the scratch.

The Astros put him on the 15-day injured list on June 18 and he’s been working his way back since. At times he has been shut down, participated in baseball activities, thrown bullpens and batting practice.

Leading up to the expected rehab start he pitched two innings of a simulated game on Sunday and then threw a bullpen on Wednesday.

Verlander, who won two World Series rings and two of his three Cy Young awards with Houston, started the season on the injured list and returned a couple of weeks into the season.

He is 3-2 with a 3.95 ERA in 10 starts. He has struck out 57 and walked 17 in 58 innings.

Houston is still hopeful that it can get starting pitcher Luis Garcia back at some point down the stretch. He hasn’t thrown since July 30 when he tossed two simulated innings but returned to the ballpark the next day with soreness in the elbow. The Astros shut him down and he hasn’t thrown since.

Houston already announced that starter Lance McCullers Jr., who missed all of 2023 and was rehabbing toward a return this season after surgery to repair his right flexor tendon and remove a bone spur, will miss the rest of this season.

He joined three other starters who are out for the season after each had surgeries in June — Cristian Javier and Jose Urquidy each had Tommy John surgery and J.P. France had season-ending shoulder surgery. 

Houston traded three prospects at the deadline to Toronto for starter Yusei Kikuchi in an effort to bolster their rotation.