Verlander accomplishes healthy goals in first rehab outing

ARLINGTON -- Despite giving up six earned runs and seven hits in three-plus innings in his first Minor League rehab start on Sunday afternoon with Triple-A Sugar Land, Astros pitcher Justin Verlander said he felt great physically after throwing 65 pitches against Las Vegas, the Triple-A affiliate of the A’s.

Verlander struck out two batters in a 1-2-3 first inning before giving up five runs in the second -- throwing 29 pitches. He pitched a clean third, but was pulled with runners at second and third base and none out in the fourth after reaching his pitch limit.

“Obviously, not the best results, but I don’t think that’s the most important thing today,” Verlander said. “I came out of it the way I would have liked physically.”

If Verlander feels good on Monday, he’ll likely head out on a second Minor League rehab start next weekend. The expectation is Verlander would then be able to be activated and join the Astros’ rotation later this month.

“I did accomplish my No. 1 goal, which was to throw 65 pitches and feel healthy,” Verlander said. “In an ideal world, you go out there and the timing is right, and everything is where you want it to be, but it’s not super realistic. My timing was a little off, so my pitches were a little erratic. Time on the mound is the only thing that can help resolve that.”

Verlander averaged 93.5 mph on his fastball, hitting 95.5 mph with the pitch. He threw 32 fastballs, 17 sliders, 11 changeups and five curveballs. Verlander generated 33 swings, including 12 whiffs (five on the slider).

“His stuff looked good,” said Astros manager Joe Espada, who watched Verlander’s outing online prior to Sunday’s game against the Rangers. “He was up to 95 and threw some really good sliders, some changeups. Hopefully, he feels good tomorrow. That’s the most important thing is how he bounces back.”

The Astros announced on March 5 that Verlander wouldn’t be ready for the start of the regular season and would begin the season on the IL after a shoulder issue put him behind prior to the start of camp. This is the second year in a row that Verlander began the season on the injured list. Last year, he hurt his arm in his final start of the spring while with the Mets.

Verlander went 7-3 with a 3.31 ERA in 11 regular-season starts (68 innings) after the Mets traded him back to Houston in July and he also made three postseason starts before the club was eliminated by the Rangers in the American League Championship Series.

The three-time Cy Young Award winner is entering the second season of a two-year deal he signed with the Mets during the 2022 offseason. The contract contains a $35 million vesting option for 2025 that is triggered if Verlander throws 140 innings this season. New York will pay half of the option if it vests.