Justin Verlander injury update: Tigers pitcher not progressing quickly

Detroit — Justin Verlander is fine. No real progress, no real setback.

The veteran starting pitcher's return to the Tigers remains TBD, after he was placed on the injured list earlier this month with inflammation in his left hip. He had been eligible to come off the IL on Friday in Boston, but while he will make the trip to continue working out with the team, he will not be activated, Tigers manager AJ Hinch said before Thursday's series finale against the Kansas City Royals at Comerica Park.

Justin Verlander has made one start for the Tigers this season.

"He had a bullpen yesterday that went OK," Hinch said Thursday, of Verlander. "It wasn't, you know, quite to the level that I think he wanted, or that we wanted, but it also wasn't a setback of some sort of making things worse.

"So we're going to take it day by day."

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Verlander, 43, has made one start since signing a one-year, $13 million contract to return to the Tigers. His much-anticipated return to the Comerica Park mound as a Tiger earlier this month on "Sunday Night Baseball" didn't happen, as he went on the IL the day before.

"We'll try to continue to make good decisions," Hinch said. "It's going a little slower than I think he anticipated, or we anticipated, but that's OK. We've got to make sure we get this right.

"Because it's not quite to 100% yet."

Keider Montero, Verlander's replacement in the rotation, was set to make his third start for the Tigers in 2026 in Thursday's series finale against the Royals.

tpaul@detroitnews.com