Nick

Allen

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.

Allen returns to Houston’s bench mix after a minimum stay on the injured list with back spasms. The 27-year-old defensive specialist can be safely ignored in all fantasy formats.

Allen was scratched from Saturday’s game with back spasms, and now we know the absence will be longer than a few days. There is no word yet on Allen’s timeline for return.

The Astros initially said that Allen was available to play. The Astros say a lot of things. Allen should be considered day-to-day.

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.

Altuve receives his first day off after making 18 consecutive starts to open the season. The 35-year-old veteran second baseman is hitting .288/.405/.455 with 13 runs scored, two homers, six RBI and one steal in 79 plate appearances. Isaac Paredes will handle the keystone in his absence with Nick Allen getting a turn at shortstop.

Less-than-ideal news. Peña will miss the World Baseball Classic based on this timeline. It does still give him a chance to be ready for Opening Day, but it’s of course possible that he misses more time than this based on the fact that they’re planning a later reevaluation. Nick Allen profiles as the Peña fill-in at shortstop on paper for the Astros if Peña misses the start of the season, and Allen won’t hack it as a fantasy option. It’s also possible that Carlos Correa could shift to shortstop in the short term and get Isaac Paredes in the lineup as a regular, though Correa has indicated that he’s trained only to play third base.

Allen was acquired for Mauricio Dubón back in November and figures to serve as a defensive replacement and utility backup infielder in Houston next season.

Allen was the starting shortstop for Atlanta in 2025, and while he posted just a .535 OPS in that season, he was one of the best defenders up the middle. The 27-year-old could be the starting second baseman for Houston in 2026, and he along with Jeremy Peña would be as good of double-play combination — defensively — as there is. It helps the Astros’ defense, but there’s zero fantasy value in Allen’s game.