Verlander says return is near after tossing bullpen session

Justin Verlander said he is optimistic he could return to the Astros’ rotation “soon” after he threw one simulated inning in a bullpen session Sunday, his second since he injured his right calf on Aug. 28.

Verlander went through his entire pregame routine Sunday, then pitched off the rubber with David Hensley and J.J. Matijevic standing in as hitters. He said he did not know his pitch count but encountered no issues.

“I wanted to try to, best I can, kind of trick my body into feeling like all right, this was start day,” Verlander said. “And then hopefully I can get on my regular routine from here.”

Verlander is first eligible to be activated off the injured list Wednesday, but he and Astros general manager James Click have said it might take longer for him to rejoin the rotation. Verlander still did not have a specific timetable for his return but said he anticipated being available for a start this week, depending on how he recovers.

Verlander said he will travel with the Astros to Detroit this week. Manager Dusty Baker said Cristian Javier will probably start against the Tigers on Wednesday, with Framber Valdez and Hunter Brown set to start Monday and Tuesday. That schedule would put Verlander in position to perhaps start against the A’s next weekend at Minute Maid Park.

“We don’t really want to count on it, because we don’t want to jinx it or him have any setbacks. But for sure, it would be nice to get him back,” Baker said. “Get him back sharp, with his endurance that he had before. I noticed that a couple days ago he was jogging off the field, and I was like, ‘Dang, he’s feeling pretty good.’ So, slowly but surely.”

Verlander resumed throwing three days after his injury and threw around 30 pitches in his first bullpen session at Minute Maid Park on Friday. The goal of Sunday’s session, which he called a “good step,” was to get him used to going up and down and thinking about hitting his spots with batters lined up.

“Calf felt great,” Verlander said. “A little inconsistent, mechanics wise, but I think a lot of that is still kind of trying to trust the calf, which is why I really wanted to do this today. My body’s healing quickly. Really, my thought was try to simulate as much as

I can, like let’s not be so robotic. Let’s try to feel like I’m pitching a little bit so that I stop thinking about the calf and just let my mechanics work. The natural proprioception of pitching — just try to get some of that back, because during rehab, your throwing gets very stagnant and robotic, and that’s obviously not how I pitch.”

While his arm feels normal, Verlander said he likely still needs to go through pitcher’s fielding practice and do more running and agility work to make sure his calf is OK before he returns. He said it was a “blessing in disguise” the injury occurred not while he was pitching but while he was running to cover first.

Space Cowboys split 6-game set

Edwin Díaz homered, Shawn Dubin tossed four shutout innings in a superb start, and the Sugar Land Skeeters defeated the Round Rock Express 5-1 at Dell Diamond to secure a split of their final six-game road series.

Blake Taylor, currently on a rehab assignment for the Astros, earned the victory by tossing 11⁄3 scoreless innings and striking out a pair.

Odds and ends

Aledmys Díaz, who has missed 22 games while rehabbing a groin injury, played in his second rehab game with Class AAA Sugar Land on Saturday night, going 1-for-4 with a solo home run while starting in left field. Díaz played another game for Sugar Land on Sunday ahead of a probable

return to the Astros on Tuesday. … Angels pitcher Shohei Ohtani, who left Saturday’s game before the sixth inning with a blister on his right

index finger, was back in the lineup Sunday as the designated hitter.