Carlos Correa Could Give Houston Astros Boost In Wild AL Playoff Chase

BOSTON: Carlos Correa of the Houston Astros celebrates turning a double play to extremity the 10th inning and decorativeness a 3-1 triumph complete the Boston Red Sox astatine Fenway Park connected May 3, 2026. Two days later, he tore a tendon successful his near ankle and has not played since. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

Getty Images

The Houston Astros are battling for different playoff spot, moreover without Carlos Correa. Their squad leader conscionable mightiness return soon from ankle room to subordinate the late-season fun.

Manager Joe Espada told reporters he could “expect him to beryllium fresh to spell astatine immoderate constituent successful September,” aft an upcoming doctor’s visit.

Espada explained further to Matt Kawahara of The Houston Chronicle: “But truthful far, each the reports, each the activity he’s doing, he continues to improve. And erstwhile he gets that expert visit, possibly we tin commencement cranking up immoderate worldly wherever we tin spot him really getting aft it connected the field.”

Correa has been moving sprints, fielding grounders, and taking immoderate batting believe passim August. Getting wounded while taking BP put the 31-year-old infielder connected the operating array successful May.

He felt thing popular while taking a plaything earlier a crippled astatine Dodger Stadium connected May 5. It was a freak injury, a torn peroneus brevis tendon, and Correa’s betterment clip was placed astatine six to 8 months.

That meant his play was over. Most figured that was the 2026 extremity of the Astros, too. Houston had a 14-22 grounds astatine the time.

Yet today, Houston someway sits atop the AL West standings. Their 66-67 grounds is connected gait to make the Astros the first MLB squad to triumph a section title pinch a losing mark. The worst grounds by a section champ was the San Diego Padres’ 82-80 people to triumph the 2005 NL West.

Correa thinks he tin thief the Astros climb past the .500 people and triumph the Mild, Mild West aliases perchance unafraid a wild-card berth.

“I wouldn’t beryllium doing each this activity if I didn’t deliberation location was a chance,” Correa told The Athletic earlier this month.

Correa has astir arsenic galore things successful his measurement arsenic the Astros do pinch aliases without him. He’ll person to beryllium cleared by doctors to proceed to playing and past will request respective minor-league rehab games.

Bouncing Back

Astros fans dream Correa returns arsenic good arsenic he did aft fracturing his correct fibula and sustaining terrible ligament harm to his correct ankle connected June 21, 2014, connected a descent into 3rd guidelines during a insignificant convention crippled for the High-A Lancaster (CA) JetHawks.

A twelvemonth later, he was the 2015 AL Rookie of the Year aft helping Houston to the first of 9 trips to the playoffs successful 10 years.

Correa has flooded different ankle ailments, too. On July 11, 2025, he was helped disconnected the section pinch a correct ankle sprain while playing for the Minnesota Twins. That he was pinch the Twins was owed to his 2014 injury.

Correa near the Astros aft the 2021 World Series and signed a three-year, $105.3 cardinal statement pinch Minnesota. He opted retired of the woody aft 1 play and signed pinch San Francisco for a whopping $350 cardinal complete 13 years. The Giants cancelled the statement aft a physical, citing concerns complete the 2014 ankle injury.

A fewer days later, Correa agreed to a 12-year, $315 cardinal woody pinch the New York Mets that was ne'er signed. The Mets backed out, too, complete ankle exams.

He yet signed a six-year, $200 cardinal statement pinch Minnesota.

At the 2025 waste and acquisition deadline, the Twins traded him backmost to Houston to unload his hefty salary. Correa deed .290 successful 51 games for Houston aft the deal. Insurance issues kept him from playing in the 2026 World Baseball Classic this past March, but he was hitting .279 successful 32 games erstwhile wounded successful May.

Astros’ Brightest Star

Correa was anointed arsenic Astros aristocracy the time Houston made him the first wide prime of the 2012 MLB Draft and signed him for $4.8 million. A twelvemonth retired of precocious school, he deed .320 astatine Quad Cities (IA) successful 2013 and was batting .325 astatine Lancaster successful '14 erstwhile he tore up his correct leg.

He sewage moreover amended successful 2015, hitting a mixed .335 astatine Double-A Corpus Christi (TX) and Triple-A Fresno (CA) to gain a telephone to the large leagues astatine property 20.

Correa sewage an RBI azygous successful his 2nd profession at-bat connected June 8, 2015, against the Chicago White Sox, disconnected 1 of the toughest pitchers successful the game, Chris Sale. He sewage his first homer disconnected Zach Duke the adjacent night.

A prima was calved and embraced by Texans pinch the aforesaid reverence and zeal held for the prima connected the authorities emblem of “The Lone Star State”.

Correa deed .279 pinch 22 homers and 68 RBI successful 99 games arsenic a rookie. The 22 homers are tied for 14th-most by a 20-year-old pinch Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr., Fernando Tatis Jr., and Giancarlo Stanton. Hall of Famer Mel Ott deed 42 astatine that property successful 1929 for the New York Giants to lead the list.

After going 0-for-4 successful a wild-card triumph complete the New York Yankees, Correa deed .350 pinch 2 homers successful a five-game AL Division Series nonaccomplishment to the eventual World Series champion Kansas City Royals.

Correa loves playing successful the playoffs. His teams person won 12 of 18 post-season bid and he has deed .282 pinch 18 homers and 63 RBI successful 85 playoff games.

What’s Next For Houston Astros?

It has been a chaotic 2026 successful Houston pinch galore injuries, the caller dismissal of General Manager Dana Brown and Yordan Alvarez’s tally astatine winning a Triple Crown and MVP Award.

The left-handed slugger has almost single-handedly kept the Astros successful the race. He leads the AL successful homers (36), RBI (91) and batting mean (.322). The 29-year-old has deed .372 pinch 20 homers and 52 RBI successful 68 location games.

The Astros person been decimated by injuries astatine various times to Correa, shortstop Jeremy Pena, catcher Yainer Diaz, person Josh Hader and galore others. A full of 27 Astros person made 30 trips to the injured list, missing 1,516 days, according to Spotrac.com. They person utilized 57 different batters, seventh astir successful MLB, and 33 pitchers, tied for eighth most.

Houston is 24-14 against clubs pinch sub-.500 records. After tonight’s crippled against the Yankees, only 12 of the Astros’ 28 remaining games are against clubs pinch losing records.

The Astros were counted retired by mid-season, but sewage disconnected the canvas and backmost into contention by winning 11 of 12 from July 20 to August 2. That came correct earlier the 2026 MLB Trade Deadline, though Houston made only 1 awesome summation by getting outfielder Daulton Varsho from Toronto.

Could Correa transportation them to a akin September stretch? If so, the Houston Astros will beryllium playing post-season shot for the 10th clip successful 12 years.