Justin Verlander update: Will Tigers veteran pitch again before retirement from MLB?

Justin Verlander has spent most of his career making the mound look like home. Now, the Detroit Tigers veteran finally knows when he will get one last chance to stand on it.

After another bullpen session Tuesday, Tigers manager A.J. Hinch confirmed that Verlander is set to make his final MLB start Saturday against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Comerica Park. Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reported the update on X.

Verlander walked into Hinch's office "pretty excited" after completing the workout, a good sign for a pitcher who has spent most of 2026 fighting his own body.

Justin Verlander finally gets one last start

Verlander has made only one start this season, coming March 30 against the Arizona Diamondbacks . He allowed six runs, five earned, on six hits in 3.2 innings before landing on the injured list with hip and hamstring problems.

The Tigers transferred him to the 60-day injured list in May. A rehab attempt with Triple-A Toledo later in the summer was also interrupted by hip inflammation.

At one point, it looked like Verlander might have to retire without throwing another competitive pitch. Apparently, he was not quite ready to let the baseball decide how the story ended.

Verlander announced in July that he would retire after the 2026 season. The 43-year-old enters his final appearance with 266 career wins and 3,554 strikeouts, along with three Cy Young Awards, an MVP and two World Series championships.

Tigers give Verlander the farewell he wanted

Sep 28, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander (35) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The Saturday start will have no postseason consequences for Detroit. The Tigers were eliminated from playoff contention Tuesday, making Verlander's final outing about something much simpler.

Detroit has planned a celebration around Verlander's final weekend, and Saturday's game against Pittsburgh will bring his career back to where it started.

There is still plenty of emotion attached to the moment, but Verlander has already done the hard part. After months of setbacks, he has one more mound to climb.

And this time, nobody is asking him to come back.