Carlos Correa is taking the next big step in his comeback, and the Astros now have a clearer idea of just how real a September return might be.
The third baseman has been cleared for full baseball activities and will travel later this week to Houston’s spring training site in West Palm Beach, Fla., where the rehab work gets more demanding. Correa called it the next true checkpoint after the surgery he had on May 11 to repair his peroneus brevis tendon, which he had described as season-ending.
He met with doctors Tuesday for a planned four-month follow-up and came away encouraged. Correa said he was told, “Everything is progressing the way it should.”
“From the moment I had the surgery, my plan has always been to try and get back and play this year,” Correa said Tuesday. “Now that we’re going to ramp up for real and see how the foot is going to respond, this will be the real test for us to see if we can come back and play.”
That test will include live pitching and a baserunning progression once he gets to Florida, two of the final hurdles before the Astros would even consider activating him. Correa said he’ll also play in some bridge games at the club’s complex and still needs a minor-league rehab assignment with a full-season affiliate.
The timing is tight. Triple-A Sugar Land’s season ends on Sept. 20, and the Astros close the regular season with a six-game road trip to Seattle and Sacramento beginning Sept.
- Correa said he and the team are “weighing all options,” including the possibility that his return comes only for a playoff series.
“This week is going to tell us a lot. I’m going to be (in West Palm Beach) probably a week and a half or a week, and depending how it goes, we can move forward,” Correa said.
He added, “Everything is progressing the way it should. (The doctor) is happy with the way I’ve been looking and the way that I’ve been doing things. He’s giving me the go to go out there and test it a little bit more.”
Correa has already moved well beyond the earliest stages of rehab. Since resuming baseball work last month, he has fielded ground balls, hit off a pitching machine and, by his own account, sprinted at 95 percent effort. All of that defensive work has been at third base.
Manager Joe Espada has stayed careful with his words, but last week he said he expected Correa “to be ready to go at some point in September.” On Tuesday, Espada again refused to get into the details of how the infield might look if Correa returns, beyond confirming Correa would play third base.
That leaves some real roster decisions waiting in the wings. Isaac Paredes has the third-highest OPS on the team, but could move to second base if Correa comes back. That shift would push either Jose Altuve or Yordan Alvarez into left field every day, and Correa made it clear he doesn’t see himself as a designated hitter.
“I don’t think I’m a better DH than Yordan,” Correa quipped.
Houston entered Tuesday with a two-game lead over the Texas Rangers in the American League West.
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