Three-time American League Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander will make his season debut for the Houston Astros on Friday, April 19, against the Washington Nationals. It’s a massive boost for a pitching rotation that has struggled early in the 2024 Major League Baseball season.

After a brief stint in the minor leagues due to a shoulder inflammation, the 41-year-old pitcher made two starts within ten days. Despite some struggles, where he gave up 14 hits and 11 earned runs through seven innings, Astros fans eagerly away his return to the Astros' pitching rotation.

But while Verlander will return to the MLB mound, he might be on a pitch count because he did not throw more than 78 pitches in his two minor league starts. Despite that limitation, his return is a welcome sign for the Astros after losing Lance McCullers and Luis Garcia to injuries. Framber Valdez is also dealing with a left elbow inflammation.

Justin Verlander is incentivized to be healthy this season because his $35 million option for the 2025 season will activate if he throws 140 innings this season. Otherwise, the final year of a two-year, $86.7 million contract he signed with the New York Mets will expire after this season, making him a free agent.

The nine-time MLB All-Star cleared that threshold in 2022 when he pitched for 175 innings, finishing with a league-best 1.75 ERA. Last year, he went 162.1 innings and tallied a 13-8 record.

-Lance Fernandez