The Houston Astros are preparing for the next start of rehabilitation for their injured ace

The Houston Astros will option injured starting pitcher Justin Verlander to Double-A Corpus Christi later this week for his second rehab start.

The start is scheduled for Thursday and the Hooks will be in Northwest Arkansas. Astros manager Joe Espada told Sports Talk 790 that Verlander would make the start during a morning appearance.

When Verlander spoke to the media last week, he was hopeful that he would only need two games of rehab to be ready to return to the starting rotation. When he pitches Thursday, he will be on normal rest.

If Verlander is deemed ready to be called up after this rehab start, the earliest he would pitch would be Tuesday of next week, which would be a normal rest day. Houston would be finishing up a home series against Boston. After that, the Astros will travel to face the AL East-leading Baltimore Orioles.

The 41-year-old right-hander made his first rehab start Saturday for Triple-A Sugar Land. He pitched three innings for the Space Cowboys and threw 52 pitches, 36 of which were strikes. He allowed just one run, along with two hits and two walks. He also struck out three.

That was his first game since pitching against the Los Angeles Angels on June 9. In that game, he pitched five innings and allowed four earned runs. He allowed seven hits and struck out three batters.

After that start, Houston made the decision to pull Verlander from its game against his former team, the Detroit Tigers, due to neck stiffness. He later admitted that he had tried to pitch with that stiffness for two weeks prior to the withdrawal.

That led the Astros to place him on the 15-day injured list on June 18 and he has been working his way back since. He has been sidelined at times, participating in baseball activities, pitching out of the bullpen and taking batting practice.

Verlander, who won two World Series rings and two of his three Cy Young Awards with the Astros, began the season on the injured list and returned a couple of weeks into the season.

He is 3-2 with a 3.95 ERA in 10 starts. He has struck out 57 and walked 17 in 58 innings.

Houston traded three prospects at the trade deadline to Toronto for starter Yusei Kikuchi in an effort to bolster its rotation. The Astros are hopeful that Luis Garcia can join the rotation at some point, but he has yet to pitch since being suspended after two simulated innings on July 30.

Houston has lost four starters for the season. Cristian Javier and Jose Urquidy each underwent Tommy John surgeries and JP France had season-ending shoulder surgery. Houston has ruled out Lance McCullers Jr., as he has struggled to recover from a right flexor injury and bone spur last year.