Meanwhile, right-hander Jack Flaherty is beginning to find success by generating more swings and misses, right-hander Keider Montero has earned his way into a bigger role after picking up the slack for the injured starters, right-hander Troy Melton has impressed through three starts in his return from injury, and left-hander Framber Valdez keeps providing durability and consistency atop the rotation.

There are too many starters for five spots in the rotation.

"I think we're open to a lot of things," Hinch said of his five-man rotation, featuring four starters until Skubal returns. "I'm just looking forward to having the dilemma and the issue," Hinch said. "It's a great luxury to have, especially as guys are starting to throw the ball better."

THE FIRST DECISION: Tigers send Ty Madden to bullpen as three starters get healthy

The Tigers could option Melton or Montero to Triple-A Toledo. They could move a starter, such as Flaherty or Montero, to the bullpen, which is what they did to right-hander Ty Madden to anticipate Skubal's impending return. They could temporarily use a six-man rotation.

Here's another possibility: The Tigers could simply wait for circumstances to create clarity on their own, whether it's through injury or underperformance.

That could be what's happening in Verlander's case.

"There's a lot to like about what's ahead, but I don't want to get ahead of ourselves too much and think about too much until it's a reality," Hinch said. "We haven't had the best of health luck, so it's just staying where your feet are. We're trying to map things out accordingly with the pace of their return to play – and also what's going on with our team. I love that we're trending toward having some dilemmas."

If Verlander makes another rehab start Tuesday and returns June 15, the Tigers would gain another week to evaluate their options while approaching a stretch of 14 games in a row, as part of 23 games in 24 days.

Returning to the Tigers on June 15 means Verlander would pitch against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park. He previously pitched for the Astros in parts of seven seasons, from 2017-24.

What about a six-man rotation?

The strategy isn't an ideal fit right now because of the off days on the schedule, but it could become a short-term solution later in the month of June.

"I think it's worth it to just continue to get guys on regular routines the best we can," Hinch said. "When you have long stretches, you can look into that as a viable option to keep your starters fresh."

In Friday's fifth inning, Mariners first baseman Josh Naylor collided with rookie Kevin McGonigle at first base when he could've flipped the ball to right-hander Bryan Woo. In Saturday's third inning, Naylor flipped his sliding mitt at catcher Dillon Dingler on a play at the plate.

The Tigers did something about it.

NEW VILLAIN: Tigers hit Josh Naylor with 96 mph fastball after dirty plays

Right-hander Keider Montero hit Naylor in the right shoulder with a first-pitch 96 mph fastball in Saturday's fifth inning. Moments later, Naylor slid through second base on an inning-ending double play, nearly taking out second baseman Gleyber Torres.

"I almost had to remind myself what era we were playing in," Hinch said. "That was very normal back in the day. We're just not back in the day. Because it's unusual, that's when you see a little bit of the frustration come out – on both sides. That's baseball the way I grew up. It's not how you play in 2026."