Justin Verlander returned to the mound Wednesday in the Houston Astros‘ 4-1 defeat to the Boston Red Sox.

The 41-year-old Verlander threw five innings, striking out six and allowing two runs on four hits.

Verlander had been out since June 9 due to stiffness in his neck. During a minor-league rehab stint, he threw a total of seven innings for the Triple-A Sugar Land Space Cowboys and Double-A Corpus Christi Hooks.

Astros manager Joe Espada wasn’t sure if the team would keep Verlander on a pitch count ahead of Wednesday’s start. The three-time Cy Young Award winner finished with 76 pitches, 52 of which he threw for strikes.

Verlander’s return comes at a time when the Astros lead the AL West by 4.5 games over the Seattle Mariners as they seek their fourth consecutive division crown.

Verlander provides a boost to a rotation that has lost Cristian Javier, José Urquidy, J.P. France, Luis Garcia and Lance McCullers Jr. for the season but has been steady thanks to the performances of Framber Valdez, Yusei Kikuchi, Hunter Brown and Spencer Arrighetti. The Astros will likely go with a six-man rotation with Verlander, allowing Ronel Blanco extra rest between starts.

Prior to his second stint on the injured list this season, Verlander had made 10 starts for the Astros. He missed the start of 2024 due to a shoulder issue.

“It’s big getting JV on the mound. It’s getting one of the best back in there,” Espada said. “We know what he means. We know he’s part of this winning culture, and getting him back is a big boost for our team, especially down the stretch.”