The Astros will reinstate from the injured list prior to Fridays game against the Nationals, manager Joe Espada announced to the Astros beat this morning ( via Chandler Rome of The Athletic). Verlander will start Fridays game in whatll be his season debut. The three-time Cy Young winner opened the season on the 15-day injured list after he was slowed by shoulder fatigue early in spring training. Verlanders return is a boon for an Astros rotation that has been hammered by injuries, even beyond the expected absence of and , both of whom are still on the mend from surgeries that ended their 2023 seasons. Houston saw Verlander slowed by shoulder troubles early in spring, lost to a forearm strain and recently placed on the 15-day IL with elbow inflammation. The Astros have already cycled through multiple depth starters, including rookies and . Even with an unexpectedly dominant start to the year for previously the teams sixth starter but now a vital member of the staff whos already thrown a no-hitter in 2024 Houston starters have the fifth-worst ERA in Major League Baseball at 5.13. The quartet of Henley, Arrighetti, and have combined to yield a staggering 44 runs in just 36 1/3 innings of work. At 41 years old, its fair to wonder how long Verlander has left as a high-end starter. But he looked the part in 2023 when he to sed 162 innings of 3.22 Brandon Pfaadt Jersey ERA ball, fanned 21.5% of his opponents against a 6.7% walk rate, and maintained a solid 94.4 mph average on his heater. Hes been tagged for an ugly 11 earned runs over seven innings in two minor league rehab appearances, but hes also fanned nine of 39 opponents in that time (23.1%) and i sued just two walks (5.1%). Verlanders return should at least prevent the Stros from needing to give any more starts to any of the teams rookies for the time being. Hell step into the rotation alongside , Blanco, France and Brown. Houston will hope for better results from sophomores France and Brown, both of whom were solid rotation pieces in their 2023 rookie showings. (Though France wilted in rather glaring fashion down the stretch last year.) Brown, in particular, was one of the games top pitching prospects prior to last years debut. Hes had an awful start to the season, headlined by a nine-run shellacking at the hands of the Royals, but he held a powerhouse Braves lineup to two runs over six innings in a rebound effort last night. Turning back to Verlander specifically, the timing of his return bears particular importance. His two-year, $86.666MM contract contains a vesting $35MM player option for a third season. If hes able to throw 140 innings in 2024, hell have the right to exercise that player option and lock himself in at $35MM next year provided he finishes the season without an arm injury that would prevent him from pitching in 2025. If his shoulder causes further problems and sends him back to the injured list, the conditions of that player option will become far more pertinent. As it stands, the future Hall of Famer should have ample time to reach the requisite 140 frames. Yilber Diaz Jersey