Carlos Correa looks set to make a return that would have seemed aggressive when the Astros first laid out his recovery plan.
Houston expected the infielder’s season to be finished in May after he had surgery to repair a tendon tear in his left ankle. At the time, the club said the rehab would take six to eight months. Instead, Correa has pushed all the way back into view: he was running and doing defensive work by the first week of August, has since gotten back into batting practice, and is now projected to return before the regular season ends.
Manager Joe Espada said this afternoon that he expects the three-time All-Star will “be ready to go at some point in September” (link via Chandler Rome of The Athletic).
That timeline would put Correa back roughly two months ahead of schedule. Before the injury, he was off to a strong start, hitting .279/.369/.418 with three homers and eight doubles in 141 plate appearances. Houston had planned to use him primarily at third base, though he ended up getting more time at shortstop early in the year while Jeremy Peña dealt with a couple of bumps of his own.
Now Peña is back as the everyday shortstop, and the Astros have built out the rest of the infield with Christian Walker, Jose Altuve and Isaac Paredes from first through third. Yordan Alvarez has mostly stayed at designated hitter as Houston protects his health; he has only 161 innings in left field this season, including just five starts since the All-Star Break. The idea is simple enough: keep one of the five best offensive players in the sport in the lineup as much as possible.
Espada wasn’t ready to map out the defensive alignment if everyone is available, and Correa still has to clear the rest of the ramp-up process before he’s back on the MLB roster. He’ll need to keep progressing through baseball activities and complete a minor league rehab assignment first.
The Astros would love to find enough off days to manage the pieces, but they’re also in a tight race for the AL West title. Altuve hasn’t played the outfield this year, and his defensive numbers at second base have been among the worst of any player at the position.
His 2025 try in left field also didn’t go well, but Houston could tolerate shaky defense there if it means getting Correa back into the lineup instead of the current LaMonte Wade Jr. / Taylor Trammell split.
If Correa can handle third base every day, Paredes could slide to second.
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