Justin Verlander Hit Hard in Simulated Game During Tigers Rehab Session
Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander returned to live action Saturday but allowed plenty of hard contact in a simulated game.
The Detroit Tigers took another important step Saturday in Justin Verlander’s recovery process, but the results were far from dominant. The 43-year-old veteran threw a simulated game at Kauffman Stadium before Detroit’s matchup against the Kansas City Royals, marking his first appearance against live hitters since landing on the injured list with left hip inflammation back in early April. While Verlander came away encouraged physically, the Tigers right-hander admitted the outing was not especially sharp.
“I wasn’t as sharp as I would like to be,” Verlander said via the Detroit Free Press. “Physically, it was another step in the right direction. Check the box and keep moving forward.
” Justin Verlander Allows Plenty of Hard Contact The simulated game lasted two innings and featured Verlander facing Hao-Yu Lee and Wenceel Pérez. According to Petzold, across 38 pitches, every single hitter put the ball in play. That stood out immediately.
Verlander generated only four swings and misses during the session while failing to record a strikeout. Several balls were also hit hard, including a fly ball from Pérez that likely would have gone for a double and a line drive from Lee into left-center field that also appeared headed for extra bases. Lee later added another hard-hit ground ball up the middle that could have been a single in game action.