AL West: Rescue or respite?

Houston Astros

Just now coming off of a balky shoulder that shelved him for the entirety of spring training, Justin Verlander's first minor league rehab start at AAA-Sugar Land yielded both good results (6/1 K/BB over his three innings) and bad (6 earned runs on 7 hits), none of which is atypical for a pitcher attempting to re-establish some command. All reports have Verlander making just one more minor league start before joining the Astros for his MLB debut as early as April 17 vs. ATL.

Verlander's pending return along with Ronel Blanco's stunning small-sample bottom line – no runs allowed over two starts and 15 IP of work, including that no-hitter – is balm for a rotation beset by injuries and early season depth issues. Framber...

Almost!

You’re just a few clicks away from accessing this feature and hundreds more throughout the year that have a singular goal in mind: Winning your league. Subscribe to BaseballHQ.com here!

Already a subscriber? Sign in here

More From PT Tomorrow

The Cubs promoted their top pitching prospect to AAA. Plus, rotation shakeups on the way in STL and MIL; looking an offensive spark in PIT and an under-the-radar OF prospect in CIN.
May 6 2024 3:04am
Kirby Yates and the Rangers bullpen; post-Trout CF options in LAA; infield talk in SEA and OAK; and is Hader safe in HOU?
May 2 2024 3:06am
Early OF results in COL; Rookies finding success for LA and ARI; Machado returns to 3B for SD; potential SF SP prospect options.
May 1 2024 3:46am
How does nearly a week on the bench affect the future playing time outlook for Masataka Yoshida? Plus, bullpen question marks in TAM and BAL, and more.
Apr 30 2024 3:02am

Tools