Carlos

Correa

The procedural move opened up a spot on Houston’s roster for closer Josh Hader. Correa underwent season-ending ankle surgery last month. He’s expected to be ready for the start of spring training.

Technically, Correa tore the peroneus brevis tendon in his left ankle. The 31-year-old infielder suffered the injury during pregame batting practice last week. His absence means Isaac Paredes will handle the hot corner for the remainder of the year, which is undoubtedly a boost to his fantasy appeal.

This is just a brutal blow for an Astros team, whose starting rotation has also been ransacked by injuries. Correa felt a pop while taking a swing during pregame batting practice on Tuesday and went down in pain. The recovery time for this injury is 6 to 8 months, so he should be able to return for the start of the 2027 season. In the meantime, Isaac Paredes will become a full-time player at third base for the Astros and should be picked up in any leagues where he is still on the waiver wires.

Correa will visit a foot specialist on Wednesday. It’s probably a good thing that that is the left ankle, as opposed to the right one that caused Correa to flunk physicals with the Mets and Giants as a free agent three years ago. Still, a lengthy absence appears likely here. The Astros will get by with Nick Allen and Braden Shewmake until Jeremy Peña comes off the IL, something that will hopefully happen next week. While this is definitely a blow, it at least will serve to settle the Houston infield, with Isaac Paredes playing third regularly and Yordan Alvarez DHing most of the time.

Correa suffered a left ankle injury during batting practice, marking the second consecutive contest that the Astros have lost a starter to injury during warmups. He’ll undergo evaluation and imaging to determine the severity of the issue. There should be an update on his status following the contest.

Correa broke a scoreless tie in the third inning when he smacked a leadoff homer off of Jake Bennett to give the Astros a 1-0 lead. He continues to swing a hot bat for the Astros, slashing .286/.379/.482 over his last 15 games while hitting two homers and driving in six runs. With only three homers on the season, we still shouldn’t expect much from Correa in the power department, but he’s producing at a consistent level.

Neither is Carlos Correa. The Astros will roll with a double play combination of Brice Matthews at second base and Braden Shewmake at shortstop against RHP Brandon Young.

Correa’s three balls in play tonight came in at 107, 102 and 104 mph, giving his 38 percent hard-hit rate a boost. The homer off Ryan Weathers was his second of the year. He’s back in a considerably better run and RBI situation in Houston than he was in Minnesota, but as only a modest source of homers and a zero in steals, his fantasy ceiling remains rather low.

The Astros announced that Allen is available to play, so it appears that Houston just wants to add some more offense into the lineup for Saturday’s game. Carlos Correa will move to shortstop, and Shay Whitcomb will handle third base and hit ninth in Allen’s absence.

It’s a positive sign to see Paredes in the lineup at all following an early exit from Friday’s game against the Cardinals due to a leg issue. The 27-year-old third baseman will likely be limited to DH for the remainder of the weekend with Carlos Correa at third base and Nick Allen at shortstop.