SAN FRANCISCO -- Circle the calendar. Justin Verlander¡¯s return date has finally become clear.

Verlander threw three innings and 43 pitches in a simulated game Sunday in Port St. Lucie, Fla., taking a significant step forward in his return from a right teres major strain. He is lined up to make a Minor League rehab start on Friday and, assuming everything goes well with that, debut for the Mets the following week in Detroit.

If Verlander remains on a five-day schedule, as he has throughout the most recent portion of his rehab, he will debut May 3 against the Tigers. That could push to May 4 if the Mets give him an extra day of rest.

¡°He went out there and got after it a couple pitches toward the end,¡± Mets manager Buck Showalter said of Verlander¡¯s simulated game. ¡°He looked good.¡±

Verlander¡¯s next outing could come for the Single-A St. Lucie Mets in Clearwater, Fla., according to Showalter, though the long road trip across Florida may prompt the Mets to make other plans. Alternate options include a game for High-A Brooklyn at Jersey Shore, or Double-A Binghamton at home.

After that, Verlander should debut. He won¡¯t require a second rehab outing, per Showalter, though the Mets may need to keep his pitch count limited in his first start back -- possibly in the range of 75 pitches as he stretches out to a regular starter¡¯s workload.

¡°He¡¯s anxious to get back,¡± Showalter said.

Whatever Verlander can give the Mets, they will take, particularly considering the current state of their rotation with Max Scherzer suspended and Jos¨¦ Quintana and Carlos Carrasco both injured. Scherzer is due back on May 1, potentially restoring both the Mets¡¯ aces to active duty in a three-day span.

That would end more than a month-long rehab for Verlander, who landed on the IL on Opening Day after undergoing an MRI. Initially, Verlander classified his muscle strain as minor, saying he ¡°definitely¡± would have pitched through it in a postseason scenario. Later, Verlander called a late-April return a worst-case scenario.

But the Mets have been cautious with Verlander, whom they signed to a two-year, $86.6 million contract in December. He is coming off a Cy Young season in which he went 18-4 with a 1.75 ERA over 28 starts for the Astros, but he¡¯s also 40 years old and less than three years removed from Tommy John surgery.

In Detroit, Verlander will pitch against his original team, for whom he played from 2005-17. Verlander won a Rookie of the Year Award, an MVP and the first of his three Cy Youngs with the Tigers.