After another week on the injured list, the Detroit Tigers veteran is trending in the right direction, but he’s still not close to returning to the mound.

A bullpen session on Wednesday offered some encouragement as Verlander works back from left hip inflammation. It was a better result than his previous outing, which caused a brief setback and kept him in Detroit while the team traveled.

Verlander, who has been sidelined since April 4, admitted the hardest part hasn’t been the rehab itself — it’s accepting that he can’t take the ball.

“I think the hardest time of this is the first time you have to submit that you’re not going to be able to make your next start,” Verlander said.

That decision, he said, is never easy. The instinct is always to push through, but stepping back has allowed him to focus on getting fully healthy.

Last week’s bullpen session didn’t go as planned and forced the Tigers to slow things down.

Manager A.J. Hinch described the latest session as encouraging, and Verlander said he felt improvement the following day. The key now is staying consistent and avoiding the mechanical issues that showed up when he tried to push too hard.

“…when I was really trying to step on it, it was affecting my mechanics a little bit. If it’s affecting mechanics, I don’t care how much pain you can work through, you don’t want to cut off your nose to spite your face.” Verlander said.

The Tigers are still mapping out the next steps, but the process is clear.

Verlander is expected to travel with the team on its upcoming road trip as the club continues to evaluate him day by day.

In the meantime, Keider Montero has stepped into the rotation and posted a 3.68 ERA, helping the Tigers stay afloat while Verlander works his way back.

Detroit still views Verlander as a key piece, but the focus has shifted to making sure he returns healthy rather than quickly.