Detroit — Maybe the sunny 73-degree temperatures helped.

Justin Verlander threw a bullpen session before the game Wednesday and, as he told manager AJ Hinch, it was encouraging. For sure more encouraging than his previous session, in which he still felt constricted by his sore hip.

“It didn’t hinder him as much today as it had in previous bullpen,” Hinch said. “Which is encouraging. I don’t know how encouraging yet, though.”

A more complete read on how well his body responded will come in the morning.

“We have to wait to cools off and keeps moving around and we will see how he is later tonight and tomorrow,” Hinch said. “The initial read is that this was a positive step forward, which is good.”

Verlander, who has made one start this season and has been on the injured list since April 1, still has a ways to go before he’s ready for competition.

“There’s still a series of things he has to do before I can plan anything,” Hinch said. “As of right after the bullpen, I was glad to get this positive news.”

Verlander, who threw his bullpen after the clubhouse was closed to the media, was unavailable for comment.

This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Tigers' Justin Verlander reports progress after latest bullpen session