In Photos: Astros star Justin Verlander's wife Kate Upton shares sweet snuggles with her adorable furry babies

Justin Verlander and the Houston Astros have started their preparation for the upcoming 162-game schedule. On the other hand, his wife, Kate Upton, had her own fun time with her furry babies. Recently, Upton took to Instagram to share sweet snuggles with her pet dogs.

"Love my babies," Upton wrote in her post.

Kate Upton and Justin Verlander have been married since 2017 and are parents to their daughter, Genevieve, who was born on Nov. 7, 2018.

Justin Verlander cleared the hurdle of 60-pitch session

The start of the season is less than four weeks away as the Astros tighten up to get their three-time Cy Young pitcher back on the mound. On Sunday morning, Justin Verlander cleared the drill for the 60-pitch session, with manager Joe Espada in attendance.

Espada told reporters that the session was effective as Verlander was able to throw his sliders, changeups and fastballs without any issues. This development comes after Verlander started the training two weeks later due to a shoulder issue.

“He walked off the mound feeling really good about his side,” Espada said. “We’ll see how he bounces back tomorrow and see where we go from there.

“I saw an upbeat J.V., super positive, really liked the way he felt. Even from pitch No. 1 to pitch 60, he felt really good.”

This development suggests that Verlander is getting closer to returning to the mound. Now he'll have to go through two live BP sessions before he makes his spring training debut this year.

“I think we can start talking about that,” Espada said. “Hopefully, he’s there where we can move forward and start scheduling a live BP.”

If Verlander is fit to play on Opening Day night against the New York Yankees on March 28, he will most likely get the nod. However, Espada said that the schedule is tight and he will still consider it positive news if Verlander makes the mound in the opening week as well.

“It’s still tight,” Espada said. “Every day that passes that he doesn’t face live BP or live hitters, it works against his ability to be ready for Opening Day. There’s no doubt about it.”

A setback here and there could derail the plans of the Astros to get Justin Verlander on the mound by the first week of regular season.