Justin Verlander ready for 2026 Tigers debut: 'Think I still have it'

SAN DIEGO – For Justin Verlander, this isn’t a farewell tour with the Detroit Tigers.

It’s a return.

It’s also a chance to help the Tigers win.

“I don’t want a handout here,” Verlander said Saturday, March 28 – roughly 50 hours before his first start for the Tigers in 3,134 days. “I’m not just trying to ride out into the sunset and not be successful. I think I still have it. I think I showed that in the second half last year. I want to continue to build on that.”

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Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander practices during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026.

The 43-year-old right-hander returned to the Tigers in early February, signing a one-year, $13 million contract. He made four starts throughout spring training, but his official return is set for Monday against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field.

It’s his first start of the 2026 season.

It’s also his first start for the Tigers since Aug. 30, 2017.

His reaction?

“I’m definitely looking forward to it,” said Verlander, who kickstarted his Hall of Fame-caliber career with the Tigers, pitching for the franchise from 2005-17. “It’s a full-circle thing. It’s fun to be back and fun to be part of the organization again.”

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Detroit Tigers welcome back Justin Verlander press conference

Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander poses for a photo with general manager Jeff Greenberg, left, and president of baseball operations Scott Harris during his introductory press conference at the 34 Club of Joker Marchant Stadium on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026.

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Detroit Tigers welcome back Justin Verlander press conference

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Detroit Tigers welcome back Justin Verlander press conference

Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander arrives for his introductory press conference at the 34 Club of Joker Marchant Stadium on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026.

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Detroit Tigers welcome back Justin Verlander press conference

Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander answers a question during his introductory press conference at the 34 Club of Joker Marchant Stadium on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026.

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Detroit Tigers welcome back Justin Verlander press conference

Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander, center, next to manager A.J. Hinch, left, and president of baseball operations Scott Harris, right, arrive for his introductory press conference at the 34 Club of Joker Marchant Stadium on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026.

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Detroit Tigers welcome back Justin Verlander press conference

Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander puts on his No. 35 jersey next to president of baseball operations Scott Harris during the introductory press conference at the 34 Club of Joker Marchant Stadium on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026.

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Detroit Tigers welcome back Justin Verlander press conference

Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander answers a question during his introductory press conference at the 34 Club of Joker Marchant Stadium on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026.

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Detroit Tigers welcome back Justin Verlander press conference

From left, Detroit Tigers pitchers Tarik Skubal, Casey Mize, Jack Flaherty and Framber Valdez watch during Justin Verlander’s introductory press conference at the 34 Club of Joker Marchant Stadium on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026.

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Detroit Tigers welcome back Justin Verlander press conference

Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander, right, speaks next to president of baseball operations Scott Harris during his introductory press conference at the 34 Club of Joker Marchant Stadium on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026.

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See Tarik Skubal in perhaps his last Detroit Tigers spring training

Detroit Tigers pitchers Tarik Skubal, left, Casey Mize watch during Justin Verlander’s introductory press conference at the 34 Club of Joker Marchant Stadium on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026.

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Detroit Tigers welcome back Justin Verlander press conference

Detroit Tigers pitchers Tarik Skubal, left, Casey Mize watch during Justin Verlander’s introductory press conference at the 34 Club of Joker Marchant Stadium on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026.

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Detroit Tigers welcome back Justin Verlander press conference

Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander, right, speaks next to president of baseball operations Scott Harris, center left, and general manager Jeff Greenberg, left, during his introductory press conference at the 34 Club of Joker Marchant Stadium on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026.

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Detroit Tigers welcome back Justin Verlander press conference

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Detroit Tigers welcome back Justin Verlander press conference

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Detroit Tigers welcome back Justin Verlander press conference

Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander answers a question during his introductory press conference at the 34 Club of Joker Marchant Stadium on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026.

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Detroit Tigers welcome back Justin Verlander press conference

Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander answers a question during his introductory press conference at the 34 Club of Joker Marchant Stadium on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026.

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Detroit Tigers welcome back Justin Verlander press conference

Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander answers a question during his introductory press conference at the 34 Club of Joker Marchant Stadium on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026.

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Detroit Tigers welcome back Justin Verlander press conference

Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander answers a question during his introductory press conference at the 34 Club of Joker Marchant Stadium on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026.

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Detroit Tigers welcome back Justin Verlander press conference

Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander answers a question during his introductory press conference at the 34 Club of Joker Marchant Stadium on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026.

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Detroit Tigers welcome back Justin Verlander press conference

Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander, right, speaks next to president of baseball operations Scott Harris, center, and general manager Jeff Greenberg during his introductory press conference at the 34 Club of Joker Marchant Stadium on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026.

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See Tarik Skubal in perhaps his last Detroit Tigers spring training

Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander, left, hugs Tarik Skubal after his introductory press conference at the 34 Club of Joker Marchant Stadium on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026.

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Detroit Tigers welcome back Justin Verlander press conference

Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander, left, hugs manager A.J. Hinch after his introductory press conference at the 34 Club of Joker Marchant Stadium on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026.

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See Framber Valdez at his first Detroit Tigers spring training

From left, Detroit Tigers pitcher Framber Valdez, Jack Flaherty, Justin Verlander, Tarik Skubal, and Casey Mize pose for a photo during Verlander’s introductory press conference at the 34 Club of Joker Marchant Stadium on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026.

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Detroit Tigers welcome back Justin Verlander press conference

A Welcome Back to Detroit Justin Verlander sign at the Joker Marchant Stadium on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026.

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Detroit Tigers welcome back Justin Verlander press conference

From left, Detroit Tigers pitcher Framber Valdez, pitcher Casey Mize, pitcher Jack Flaherty, pitcher Tarik Skubal, and pitching coach Chris Fetter arrive for Justin Verlander’s introductory press conference at the 34 Club of Joker Marchant Stadium on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026.

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Detroit Tigers welcome back Justin Verlander press conference

Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander, right, shakes hands with president of baseball operations Scott Harris during his introductory press conference at the 34 Club of Joker Marchant Stadium on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026.

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Detroit Tigers welcome back Justin Verlander press conference

Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander, left, shakes hands with president of baseball operations Scott Harris during his introductory press conference at the 34 Club of Joker Marchant Stadium on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026.

Verlander has been with the Tigers for seven weeks.

He has stepped into their culture.

The 21-year MLB veteran fits in with the group, particularly because he hasn’t allowed his status as a franchise icon to overshadow everything else, including reigning two-time American League Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal, newcomer Framber Valdez and top prospect Kevin McGonigle.

Verlander is special, but he acts like one of 26 players chasing a World Series championship.

“It’s kind of what I expected – a young group of guys with a lot of energy and good camaraderie,” said Verlander, the oldest player in the majors. “It’s just a good atmosphere in here. That breeds success on the field. I’m just happy to be involved with these guys and feed off their energy.”

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If anyone knows about success, it’s Verlander.

He is a three-time AL Cy Young winner who has reached the World Series five times, winning in 2017 and 2022 with the Houston Astros and losing in 2006 and 2012 with the Tigers and 2019 with the Astros.

In 2026, the Tigers will rely heavily on their five-man rotation of Skubal, Valdez, Verlander, Jack Flaherty and Casey Mize. Skubal and Valdez are among the best pitchers in baseball, but Verlander, Flaherty and Mize represent wild cards that could make or break the rotation.

The performance of Verlander is as important as anyone.

“One through five, the best teams I’ve been a part of have five guys who can give your team a chance to win on a nightly basis,” Verlander said. “That snowballs, and you can start compiling a lot of wins quickly, so hopefully, that’s what we do.”

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In spring training, Verlander struggled to command his 93.5 mph fastball, though his slider and changeup generated swing-and-miss at elite rates. He posted a 6.75 ERA with five walks and 19 strikeouts across 14⅔ innings during his four starts. Of the 17 hits against him, seven were home runs – and six of those homers were off fastballs.

Not long ago, Verlander was considered one of the best in baseball.

His 2.60 ERA over his final 13 starts of 2025 ranked seventh among 53 qualified pitchers in that span, trailing only Trevor Rogers, Paul Skenes, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Hunter Brown, Skubal and Gavin Williams. (Before that, he had a 4.99 ERA in his first 16 starts.)

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Can Verlander replicate those results in 2026?

“We’ll find out,” Verlander said. “It’s not perfect, but hopefully, it’s good enough to get some outs. You never know. The start of the season comes around and things just start clicking. When you go into spring training, you’re always working on stuff, and then that switch flips – and it’s just trying to get outs. Hopefully, I get a bunch of them.”

Verlander knows what this moment means as he officially returns to the Tigers.

But the moment doesn’t define him.

His performance does.

“I’ve pitched in plenty of emotional games,” Verlander said. “It’s something that I’ve learned to just deal with. You know it’s going to be there, so I’ll take it in stride and try to use it to my ability.”

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Justin Verlander on 2026 Tigers debut in Arizona: ‘I still have it’

Justin Verlander ready for 2026 Tigers debut: ‘Think I still have it’

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