- Updated: Jun. 17, 2026, 9:17 a.m.
- Published: Jun. 16, 2026, 7:17 p.m.
By
DETROIT — Justin Verlander will start for the Detroit Tigers on Sunday at Comerica Park in the Father’s Day series finale against the Chicago White Sox.
Tigers manager A.J. Hinch announced the news to reporters in Houston on Tuesday.
Verlander will be making his first appearance at Comerica Park in a Tigers uniform since 2017.
The 43-year-old signed a one-year deal late in spring training to return to Detroit, but he has made just one start and has yet to pitch at Comerica this season.
Verlander had been scheduled to pitch April 5 in front of a near-sellout crowd on national television, but he was scratched from the start the day before due to hip inflammation.
The oldest player in baseball and MLB’s active leader in wins, innings pitched, starts and strikeouts, Verlander will have spent two and a half months on the injured list when he is activated. He has made two rehab starts with Triple-A Toledo and thrown multiple simulated games, most recently Monday in Houston.
“It’s obviously disappointing…that a short-term thing has turned into a long-term thing,” Verlander said.
The Tigers selected Verlander with the No. 2 overall pick out of Old Dominion in 2004, and he reached the majors the following year. By 2006, he had established himself as a frontline starter, going 17-9 as a rookie and helping lead Detroit to its first World Series appearance since 1984. It was the beginning of a sustained run in which Verlander became the defining pitcher of one of the most successful eras in franchise history.
Tigers -1.5 run line is listed at +149 on DraftKings for Wednesday’s meeting with the Astros. Our in-depth DraftKings Sportsbook review makes it easy to figure out how to navigate their platform.
Verlander spent the 2025 season with the San Francisco Giants, making 29 starts and posting a 3.85 ERA despite limited run support. His season was split sharply, with early struggles giving way to a strong finish over the final two months. In his final 13 starts, Verlander was 4-3 with a 2.60 ERA (3.36 FIP), striking out 70 in 72 2/3 innings.
Verlander signed a one-year, $13 million deal with the Tigers in spring training, although virtually all of the money is deferred, with annual payments going until 2039.
With Verlander’s return, here’s the Tigers’ expected pitching plan for the remainder of the week:
(in Houston)
Tonight: LHP Framber Valdez
Wednesday: RHP Casey Mize
(vs. White Sox in Detroit)
Friday: LHP Tarik Skubal
Saturday: RHP Troy Melton (if the back tightness that sidelined him Monday has eased)
Sunday: Verlander
Right-hander Keider Montero could work out of the bullpen this week before potentially being reinserted as the sixth man in a six-man rotation..
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