ST. PETERSBURG, FL – The Detroit Tigers beat the Tampa Bay Rays, 7-2, on Wednesday, June 3, in the finale of the three-game series at Tropicana Field. The Tigers swept the series for their first three-game winning streak since mid-April.
The Tigers have a 25-38 record.
They’re 11 games behind the first-place Cleveland Guardians in the American League Central – fourth in the division – and six games back of the third and final AL wild-card spot.
Ready for Justin Verlander at Comerica Park?
Right-hander Justin Verlander might not need another rehab start.
The future Hall of Famer completed five scoreless innings Tuesday in the first start of his rehab assignment with Triple-A Toledo, which could be his only minor-league action in his return from left hip inflammation.
But the Tigers aren’t ready to make that decision yet.
“Right now, committing either way is unnecessary,” manager A.J. Hinch said Wednesday. “We’ll see how he feels coming out of it and evaluate his outing as to whether another one is warranted or if he’s available to come back.”
The 43-year-old threw 64 pitches across five innings against the Iowa Cubs, the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs, at Principal Park in Des Moines. He allowed four hits and zero walks with three strikeouts, averaging 93.5 mph with his fastball.
His fastball maxed out at 95.1 mph.
“It was good to see him active,” Hinch said. “We’re going to look at execution. We’re going to look at his stuff. I was glad that he bounced back into the fifth up and was able to build his pitch count. He was very efficient early.”
If Verlander’s next step is returning to the Tigers, he would be lined up to start Tuesday against the Minnesota Twins at Comerica Park. It would mark his first home start for the Tigers since Aug. 20, 2017 – 11 days before his deadlline trade to the Houston Astros.
Verlander, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2004 MLB Draft, pitched for the Tigers from 2005-17, then returned to the organization this season when he signed a one-year, $13 million contract in free agency before spring training.
What does Hinch think about Tuesday at Comerica Park?
“Maybe,” he said.
‘Be aggressive’ sets tone for Tigers
The Tigers didn’t just score 25 runs in three games against the Rays.
They looked like themselves again.
After a 6-22 record in May, catcher Jake Rogers believes the Tigers rediscovered what fueled their past success through their first three games in June.
“We’ve been playing timid,” said Rogers, who hit his first home run of the season in Wednesday’s game. “This team has fun, and this team is overly aggressive. That was the voice of the clubhouse: Let’s go back to who we are and at least have fun while we’re doing it.”
The results followed.
The Tigers scored 25 runs (with 10 home runs) in their three-game sweep of one of the best teams in baseball – after scoring 81 runs (with 18 home runs) across 28 games in May.
“It felt really good to come in here and be aggressive,” Rogers said.
The next challenge – a three-game set against the American League West-leading Seattle Mariners (who also downed the Tigers in the ALDS last year) – is easy in theory, difficult in practice.
“We just got to build on it,” Rogers said.
Finally, the Tigers have something positive to build on.
“We flipped the calendar month, and we played three of our best games in a while,” Hinch said. “We’re going to have a happy flight because we earned it. We played really well.”
What we know about Tarik Skubal’s rehab assignment
Left-hander Tarik Skubal is expected to make his next appearance on a mound in a real game.
The Tigers haven’t finalized plans for the reigning two-time AL Cy Young winner, but a rehab assignment remains all but guaranteed as Skubal nears the end of his recovery from a minimally invasive surgery on his left elbow.
“Competition is close,” Hinch said.
Skubal threw a 64-pitch simulated game that emulated four-plus innings Monday at Tropicana Field, taking another step in a recovery process that has moved quickly since undergoing surgery May 6 to remove a bone chip from his elbow.
He hasn’t pitched for the Tigers since April 29.
“We’re hoping that competition is next,” Hinch said. “We’re not committing to it yet, just because we don’t have to.”
The Tigers will finalize a plan soon, but a rehab assignment Saturday or Sunday is the expected outcome. If Skubal is cleared, he appears more likely to start Sunday, though weather conditions in Des Moines could influence the final decision.
If weather interferes, Skubal could make a rehab start at a different affiliate, such as Low-A Lakeland, but the Tigers prefer him to pitch at the Triple-A level.
“Step-by-step has been so successful for us up to this point,” Hinch said. “We don’t really want to get too far ahead of ourselves. If he’s ready, we’re certainly going to consider that a viable option.”
The Tigers have taken a cautious approach to the recovery process, but Skubal hasn’t shown any signs of a setback during his throwing program.
A rehab start Saturday or Sunday would put Skubal in position to return to the Tigers as early as next Friday – June 12 – against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field.
In 2026, Skubal has registered a 2.70 ERA with six walks and 45 strikeouts across 43⅓ innings in seven starts. During his back-to-back AL Cy Young campaigns in 2024-25, he had a 2.30 ERA over 62 starts.
The Tigers will need the best pitcher in baseball if they’re going to salvage their season and make a push toward the postseason.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
Next up: Mariners
Matchup: Tigers (25-38) vs. Seattle (33-30); series opener.
First pitch: 6:40 p.m. Friday, June 5; Comerica Park, Detroit.
TV/radio: Detroit SportsNet; WXYT-FM (97.1), WDTN-AM (1310; Spanish-only).
Probable pitchers: Tigers – LHP Framber Valdez (2-4, 4.39 ERA); Mariners – RHP Bryan Woo (5-3, 3.44).
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers takeaways: Ready for Justin Verlander at Comerica Park?
Reporting by Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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By Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
