One bit of positive news we received this week involves Justin Verlander and his return to game action against the Red Sox on Wednesday.

We're still waiting for Alex Bregman to return to the lineup, and who knows when we'll finally see Kyle Tucker. But we do expect them to be back at some point.

When that time arrives, what should we expect?

Bregman was finally getting hot, like he does every August. Will he pick right up where he left off?

And what about Verlander and Tucker? What version of them should we expect?

For Verlander, you have to think he's 100% ready to come back. If he needed another couple of weeks, there's plenty of season left to take more time.

He last pitched on June 9th before going on the injured list, so he should be ready to go on August 21. Two months off from a sore neck should be plenty of time.

In Tucker's case, the Astros have been so offensively challenged in the outfield that 70% of Tucker should be an upgrade.

The Astros are on a roll!

Considering how well the Astros have been playing without some of their best players, it is possible for them to win it all without them?

Plus, the Astros have 20 of 36 games remaining against elite teams once the 'Stros head to Baltimore. As for the Mariners, they only have 11 games left against top quality teams.

So even with a 5 game lead over Seattle, the race for the division isn't over yet!

Be sure to watch the video above to hear the full discussion!

*Catch our weekly Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast. Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo discuss varied Astros topics. The first post for the week generally goes up Monday afternoon (second part released Tuesday) via The SportsMap HOU YouTube channel or listen to episodes in their entirety at Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.