Carlos Correa’s attempted late-season return has been shut down, and the Astros will not get their star third baseman back in 2026.
Manager Joe Espada said Tuesday that Correa won’t play again this season after soreness surfaced while he was rehabbing his surgically repaired left ankle in Florida. Correa had been at the club’s Spring Training complex in West Palm Beach for about 10 days and was aiming to start a Minor League rehab assignment later this week, but that plan has been shelved so he can focus on getting healthy for 2027.
"The build-up on the last couple of days has really kind of been tough on his leg,” Espada said. “It's created some soreness and stuff like that."
Correa underwent peroneus brevis tendon repair surgery on his left ankle on May 11 and originally was expected to miss the rest of the season. Still, once he was cleared to swing in early August, the possibility of a return started to take shape. He began running soon after, and the Astros were even mapping out how he might fit back into the lineup.
Before the injury, Correa was hitting .279/.369/.418 with three home runs and 16 RBIs in 32 games. After the Trade Deadline move back to Houston in 2025, he posted a .290/.355/.430 line with six homers and 21 RBIs in 51 games.
Correa turns 32 on Sept. 22. He was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 MLB Draft out of Puerto Rico and grew into one of the defining players in Astros history, helping lead the club to six playoff trips, three American League pennants and the 2017 World Series title.
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