Verlander Targets Sept 26 for Possible Start

Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Justin Verlander threw as hard as he has in more than a month off the mound Saturday at Comerica Park, and the club is aiming for a possible start on Saturday, Sept. 26 against the Pittsburgh Pirates during a two-day celebration of Verlander's career. Hinch called the velocity bump a good sign before Detroit wrapped its series against Colorado.

Circle the date in pencil. Hinch has been careful not to overpromise. Verlander still needs bullpen work and a live batting practice or simulated game next weekend in Chicago during the White Sox series without a setback before that final-weekend plan gets firmer.

One start all year, then the long road back

Verlander is 43 and the oldest player in Major League Baseball. He signed a $13 million one-year deal to rejoin the Tigers and has pitched only once in 2026: March 30 at Arizona, when he allowed five runs in 3 2/3 innings in a 9-6 loss. Hip inflammation put him on the injured list early. A hamstring strain in a bullpen session delayed the midseason return he was building toward.

He announced his retirement in July, then said he was still committed to finishing the season with Detroit. He has yet to pitch at Comerica in this Tigers encore. That is why Sept. 26 matters. The Pirates series is the last home weekend, and the club already planned a two-day "Ver-Fest" style sendoff. A start would turn the ceremony into a mound moment.

Chicago sim game is the next gate

mlive's Evan Woodbery and the AP/ESPN wire both framed the same path: mound work Saturday, sim or live BP in Chicago, then the Sept. 26 target if nothing goes wrong. Hinch's Athletic-side comments stressed a seven-day plan and caution against false promises. Fantasy AL-only managers should not stream him yet. Tigers fans should watch the Chicago series reports for whether the intensity and volume hold.

If Verlander clears that next step, Comerica gets one more look at the franchise arm that left town in 2017 and came home for a last ride. If he does not, the celebration weekend still happens. The hope is that the hardest throw in a month becomes the bridge to one last home start.

Detroit has treated this carefully all summer for a reason. Verlander is not a midweek bullpen experiment. He is the oldest player in the league chasing one clean home start before the lights go out on a Hall of Fame career. The Saturday velocity note is the first loud positive in weeks. The Chicago sim is the next test. Sept. 26 is the prize if both hold.

Hardest he's thrown in over a month. Simulated game next. Sept. 26 in pencil. That is the Verlander watch for Detroit.