Photo: Ronald Cortes/Contributor Photo: Jon Shapley/Staff Photographer Photo: Jon Shapley, Staff Photographer / Staff Photographer Photo: Jon Shapley, Staff Photographer Photo: Jon Shapley, Staff Photographer Photo: Jon Shapley, Staff Photographer Photo: Jon Shapley, Staff Photographer Photo: Jon Shapley, Staff Photographer Photo: Ronald Cortes/Contributor Photo: Jon Shapley, Staff Photographer Photo: Jon Shapley, Staff Photographer Photo: Jon Shapley, Staff Photographer Photo: Jon Shapley, Staff Photographer Photo: Jon Shapley, Staff Photographer Photo: Jon Shapley, Staff Photographer Photo: Jon Shapley, Staff Photographer Photo: Jon Shapley, Staff Photographer Photo: Jon Shapley, Staff Photographer Photo: Yi-Chin Lee/Staff Photographer Photo: Jeff Roberson, Associated Press Photo: Yi-Chin Lee, Staff Photographer Photo: Yi-Chin Lee, Staff Photographer Photo: Yi-Chin Lee, Staff Photographer Photo: Yi-Chin Lee, Staff Photographer Photo: Yi-Chin Lee, Staff Photographer Photo: Yi-Chin Lee, Staff Photographer

Forrest Whitley's time in West Palm Beach is nearing an end.

The former first-round pick will make a start for Class A Advanced Fayetteville later this month, general manager Jeff Luhnow said Monday, finishing nearly a two-month "season reset" in Florida for one of baseball's best pitching prospects.

On May 29, after throwing to a 12.21 ERA in eight Triple-A games, Whitley was placed on the injured list with right shoulder fatigue and sent to the Astros' spring training facility in West Palm Beach. Luhnow later termed the time a "season reset" for the lanky 21-year-old righthander once heralded as the sport's best pitching prospects.

"All these guys when they're struggling, it's a combination of mental and physical," Luhnow said. "It's a tough game and we've seen it before, (being) a top prospect is tough physically and mentally. It's a combination, but he's got a good mindset and a good attitude. He certainly has the talent."

ASTROS INSIDER: Takeaways from sweep of Rangers

Whitley appeared in two Gulf Coast League games earlier this month. Boxscores on the league's official website say he struck out 10 and walked nine across 4⅓ innings, but those statistics are normally unreliable.

Luhnow corrected Whitley's latest line from a July 19 game. Online boxscores say he walked six men in 2⅔ innings. The general manager said Whitley walked only four.

Even if Whitley can find himself again with a full-season affiliate, time appears almost up for him to make a major league impact. Luhnow said Tuesday he hopes Whitley can "finish this year strong and put himself in a good position for next year."