Verlander nearing return, making rehab start Friday

NEW YORK -- Mets right-hander Justin Verlander is expected to make a rehab start on Friday -- location unknown -- before, hopefully, making his season debut against the Tigers next week. Verlander is expected to throw four innings in the rehab start.

Verlander has missed the first month of the season because of a right teres major strain. Verlander began feeling discomfort near his right lat during his final Spring Training start, in which his usual mid-90s velocity dropped by about two mph. Before Tuesday’s series opener vs. the Nationals, Verlander said the discomfort is “99” percent gone. Verlander and the training staff are doing a lot to strengthen the muscle in his lat area.

The Mets need Verlander back on the active roster because the starting rotation has been depleted early in 2023 -- whether by injury or suspension. Carlos Carrasco is on the injured list because of right elbow inflammation, while José Quintana is not expected back until July at the earliest because of a lesion on his fifth rib. Right-hander Max Scherzer was suspended for 10 days “for violating the prohibitions on foreign substances.” Scherzer will be back with the team on May 1.

“I’m really close,” Verlander said. “I want to be out there competing really [badly]. I take a lot of pride in being out there on the mound and being there for the boys. It’s a bit frustrating, especially because [the injury] took a little longer to bounce back from than we thought initially, but no point crying over spilled milk. So here we are.

“... Throwing feels absolutely wonderful. So all positive signs. Talking to the team doctors, athletic trainers and consulting with a bunch of people, we had a followup MRI, everything looked really good. I think everybody is comfortable with stepping on the gas and moving forward.”

During Verlander’s absence, the Mets are 14-9, a game behind the Braves entering Tuesday’s action against the Nationals. Verlander said he loves New York’s “never say die” attitude.

“They are fighting back in games they are behind,” he said. “When they have guys by the throat for the most part, they are doing a great job, keeping them down, just finding different ways to win baseball games. That’s really it. Long ball or [small ball], pitching or defense, it’s not a fluke.

“… They have a lot of ways to win baseball games. I think if you watch them night in and night out, you see a bunch of different ways it shows up.”

Scherzer is due back on May 1, potentially restoring both the Mets’ aces to active duty in a three-day span.

Verlander’s return would end more than a month-long rehab process, as he landed on the IL on Opening Day after undergoing an MRI. Initially, Verlander classified his muscle strain as minor, saying he “definitely” would have pitched through it in a postseason scenario. Later, he called a late-April return a "worst-case scenario."

But the Mets have been cautious with Verlander, whom they signed to a two-year, $86.6 million contract in December. He is coming off a Cy Young Award-winning season in which he went 18-4 with a 1.75 ERA over 28 starts for the Astros, but he’s also 40 years old and less than three years removed from Tommy John surgery.