VerHagen, who was called up from Triple-A Toledo, will start the Tigers' series opener Thursday versus the Mariners, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.
VerHagen transitioned to a relief role this spring and underwhelmed in 10 appearances out of the big-league bullpen before being designated for assignment in May. After passing through waivers unclaimed, VerHagen reported to the minors and stretched back out for a starting role, posting some decent results along the way. Across 11 starts with Toledo, VerHagen delivered a 4.42 ERA and 51:13 K:BB in 53 innings, which was enough to earn him another look from the big club. The right-hander will probably need to at least avoid a blowup outing Thursday to guarantee himself additional turns in the Detroit rotation, however.