Astros shortstop Carlos Correa underwent surgery to repair a deviated septum, he revealed during a team event on Saturday. Correa said he struggled to breathe properly while running the bases this season and hopes the procedure will alleviate any similar issues in the future.
The 24-year-old infielder was no stranger to injuries in 2018. He was waylaid by a lingering case of lower back stiffness throughout the second half of the season, which caused him to miss around seven weeks of action as the Astros pushed for a repeat playoff run. Despite coming off of one of his best career years in 2017, Correa’s constant battle to remain healthy compromised his production levels in 2018 and fed into a career-worst .239/.323/.405 batting line, 15 home runs, and a .728 OPS over 468 plate appearances.
Per MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart, Correa isn’t expected to undergo a lengthy recovery process as he works his way back from surgery and chronic back pain. Additional comments made during Saturday’s event suggest that he’s no longer dealing with any back issues and will be able to resume his standard training program in a week or so.