Justin Verlander has not pitched in 32 days and is still struggling to recover from his injury. He continues to complete bullpen sessions but remains frustrated with the slow progress.
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Friday, May 1, marked 32 days since Justin Verlander pitched in a game.
The 43-year-old right-hander has been completing bullpen sessions – as he did Wednesday and expects to do again Saturday or Sunday – but he doesn't seem any closer to joining the Detroit Tigers in return from the injured list.
The reason for the delay?
It's because Verlander hasn't recovered.
"He's still fighting through it," manager A.J. Hinch said before Friday's game, "which doesn't mean he should be shut down or changed. It just means it's slow. If people are wondering about him, he's pretty frustrated that it's not going faster, but we've got to pay attention to the symptoms."
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Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Justin Verlander (35) in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the sixth inning at Truist Park in Atlanta on Tuesday, April 28, 2026.
The Tigers placed Verlander on the injured list April 4, retroactive to April 1.
He made his lone start for the Tigers on March 30, allowing five runs on six hits and two walks with one strikeout across 3⅔ innings against the at Chase Field.
Justin Verlander is still recovering from his injury and has not pitched in a game for 32 days.
His return is delayed because he hasn't fully recovered, and manager A.J. Hinch noted that the recovery process is slow.
Justin Verlander has been completing bullpen sessions, including one on Wednesday, and plans to continue this weekend.
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"We're really trying to just get through the bullpens without symptoms," Hinch said. "It's why we're really just doing one step at a time. The hope is that he's able to add more and more every session. He's been able to do that slowly, but I just don't know until we get him past this little hump of the bullpens being asymptomatic."
Verlander – a 21-year MLB veteran – signed a one-year, $13 million contract in early February, returning to the Tigers for the first time since being traded in September 2017 to the Houston Astros for three prospects.
He previously pitched for the Tigers from 2005-17.
This story will be updated.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Justin Verlander injury update: No timeline for rehab assignment