Tigers Timeline on Justin Verlander Spring Debut Revealed Following Absence
In this story:
The Detroit Tigers prepare to begin a gauntlet of spring training games this weekend with a schedule that starts on Saturday afternoon against the New York Yankees, and it's beginning to be revealed what the team will look like.
It was revealed on Tuesday that young swingman Keider Montero is going to get the first start of spring, but of course all eyes are on soon-to-be 43-year-old team legend Justin Verlander and when he could make his first spring appearance.
If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.
Following a brief absence from the team for a prearranged family commitment, don't count on seeing Verlander in the first week of games. Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press cleared up when fans can anticipate the future Hall of Famer's spring debut of this exciting second stint with the team.
Tigers Don't Expect Verlander to Make Spring Debut Until Next Month
"Verlander is scheduled to throw a bullpen Wednesday," Petzold wrote. "It will be his first public bullpen in camp, though he has been seen playing catch on the backfields several times. He won't start in the first week of spring training games, so don't expect him in games until the first week of March."
Citing a potential date to have circled, Petzold pointed out a March 2 matchup against the Atlanta Braves in Lakeland, a game which will start at 1:05 p.m. EST and even more importantly, it will be a national broadcast televised on ESPN.
Though fans may not want to wait that extra 10 days or so to see Verlander pitch, rushing him onto the mound following missing multiple days of camp would be a foolish way for a 21-year veteran of the game to ramp up.
Detroit should be taking their time with Verlander, and it seems that is exactly the way they are going to take things this spring.
What Tigers Fans Can Expect for Verlander's Spring Workload
Given that Verlander is by all accounts completely healthy, it seems fans can expect a normal spring from him outside of the absence he has now returned from, albeit a few days behind.
In each of his last two healthy camps including last season with the San Francisco Giants, Verlander made five starts and threw a total of 21 innings. There have been times throughout his career where the total work has been both more and less than that, but it's safe to say it will be right around here.
Fans who travel to or reside in Lakeland can likely count on at least four starts from Verlander, and while it may not be until the calendar turns to March before he makes his first appearance of the spring, it is certainly coming sooner than later.
Michael Brauner is a 2022 graduate of the University of Alabama with a degree in Sports Media. He covers various MLB teams across the On SI network and you can also find his work on Yellowhammer News covering the Alabama Crimson Tide and Auburn Tigers as well as on the radio producing and co-hosting 'The Opening Kickoff' every weekday morning on 105.5 WNSP FM in Mobile, Alabama.