Veteran pitcher Justin Verlander is nearing his season debut for the Houston Astros as he continues to recover from inflammation in his right shoulder.

Per ESPN, Astros manager Joe Espada announced on Monday that Verlander will throw a side session on Tuesday and if all goes well, he will make his first start of 2024 during this weekend's three-game series against the Washington Nationals.

Espada didn't specify which game Verlander will get the start. Houston's three-game set against Washington begins on Friday.

"He's in a good spot," Espada said. "He feels good. He feels confident. He wants to contribute. He knows that we need him on the mound, we need his presence and right now and he's right where he needs to be."

Verlander was placed on the injured list prior to the season after experiencing discomfort in his throwing shoulder. He made two rehabilitation starts this month, so he's trending in the right direction.

"Pitch count-wise, I think it's pretty close, and health-wise I bounced back all the ways I would like to have seen," Verlander told reporters. "Like we had talked about earlier kind of at length, some of the things that have been difficult for me to do are becoming easier and easier. So I feel like I've kind of checked all the boxes that need to be checked. And I do feel like I'm ready to step on the mound again, whether that's for us or somebody else. So that's again, their decision."

The 41-year-old admitted he wasn't happy with his rehab starts, as he allowed six earned runs in the first and five in the second. However, he believes the experiences helped prepare him for his return from the IL.

"You're not quite in season form," he said. "The only way to practice pitching at full speed is to actually go out there and do it. As much as I would like to, I can't practice full speed in the bullpen. It's just not possible. So you really hope that your body starts to sync things up when you're out there in a game and you learn from each time you're out there, and I think I'm doing just that."