Detroit Tigers' Justin Verlander's first live BP was a process win

Kansas City, Mo. — He didn’t love it. That was clear. But he knows that any hurdle cleared is a win and Justin Verlander got a win on Saturday.

The injured Detroit Tigers starter threw to hitters for the first time, two simulated innings against right-handed hitting Hao-Yu Lee and switch-hitter Wenceel Perez who batted left-handed for this session. He ended up throwing 38 pitches with 24 strikes and four whiffs.

“Pretty good,” Verlander said. “Not as sharp as I would like to be but physically, it was another step in the right direction. You know, check the box today and keep moving forward.”

Verlander, 43, has been out since April 1 with left hip inflammation. A soreness that he initially thought he might be able to pitch through is turning into a seven- or-eight-week process. As he admitted, it has tested his patience.

“It’s still a work in progress,” he said. “It’s not where I want it but it’s better than what it was. As long as I can keep building up and be OK physically, you get to a point where it’s time to go.”

In the eight plate appearances Saturday, four each for Lee and Perez, Verlander didn’t issue a walk or record a strikeout. Eight balls were put in play. Lee worked a seven-pitch at-bat and drove a ball to the gap in left-center. Perez drove a ball into the right-field corner.

“I thought he was throwing his pitches pretty good,” Perez said. “He was trying to locate. The good thing, he looked healthy. I saw him pretty good but his fastball was getting in on me a little bit. I think this was good for him.”

Verlander needs to keep advancing on both paths — building volume and sharpening his stuff.

“We have to walk that fine line of pushing him volume-wise and push him to build his endurance,” Tigers manager AJ Hinch said. “Like, he was better in his second inning today than his first. But also the quality has to come with it.”

Hinch said the immediate plan is for Verlander to throw another sim game, most likely on Thursday in Queens. After that, he will almost certainly have to make at least one minor-league rehab start.

“We want him to be himself when does come back, leaving no wonder about his stuff or his confidence in his stuff,” Hinch said. “We are judging both things (endurance and stuff) knowing we’re not going to be able to accomplish the major-league-quality intent in these side sessions. He even referenced it last year, when he went on a rehab assignment, it was a lot different.