Tigers' Justin Verlander 'feeling much better' after bullpen session

Detroit — Justin Verlander took a step in his return from injury, but it remains to be seen where that leads.

Verlander made one start in his return to the Tigers before being shut down with left hip inflammation.

Verlander threw a bullpen session Wednesday and came away optimistic.

"I'm feeling good, starting the build-up process, (although) I don't know exactly what that looks like," Verlander said. "But physically I'm feeling much better and mechanically also feeling much better.

"Good signs."

Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander made one start this season before being shut down with left hip inflammation.

The next step for Verlander is facing hitters — though not in a game situation — manager AJ Hinch has said, as long as Verlander comes out of the bullpen session healthy. Verlander is excited for the next box to check.

"Definitely looking forward to it," Verlander said. "The biggest thing I'm going to focus on is trying to maintain the mechanics I've been working so diligently on and having those transfer to when you're competing, which is nice to face hitters in a non-game atmosphere so that you can focus a little bit more on yourself and not just on results."

Verlander, 43, went 3⅔ innings in his only appearance this season on March 30. Verlander allowed six hits and five earned runs in a 9-6 loss at Arizona. What was supposed to be a day-to-day injury has been frustratingly much longer.

"Early on the prognosis was that it could be pretty quick, but it just didn't happen that way," Verlander said. "So reconsulting with the doctors and kind of switching of mindsets really, when you think it's going to be faster than it is and all of a sudden you're at the point where you should be back out there. Even though it's getting better, and each day I came to the field it was feeling better, there's a negative connotation of why isn't it 100% yet.