HOUSTON (AP) — Houston’s Justin Verlander is scheduled to come off the injured list and start the finale of a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday.

“It’s great to have JV on the mound. We have one of the best back,” manager Joe Espada said. “We know what he means. We know he’s part of that winning culture and having him back is a big boost for our team, especially in the home stretch.”

The 41-year-old star has not pitched since June 9 due to neck stiffness. He made two rehab starts in the minor leaguewho last threw four innings for Double-A Corpus Christi on Thursday.

Espada was asked if the three-time Cy Young Award winner would keep a pitch count since he only threw 57 pitches in his last rehab outing.

“We’ll see how the trip goes and how effective it is,” Espada said. “I don’t want to give a number because it might surprise us. But we’ll definitely keep a close eye on his workload.”

Verlander is 3-2 with a 3.95 ERA in 10 starts this season. His current stay on the injured list is his second this season after opened the season take a break due to inflammation in the right shoulder.

The Astros just began an 18-game off-day streak, and Espada said they will use a six-man rotation at least until then.

Houston has put its early-season struggles behind it, entering Monday’s games with a season-high 11 games over .500. The Astros lead the AL West by four games over the second-place Mariners.

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APMLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB