The hits keep coming for the Astros. Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports that the third baseman/shortstop Carlos Correa will require season-ending surgery to repair an ankle injury. Correa was scratched in last night’s game and afterwards it was reported that he had a serious ankle injury. He was in the clubhouse today on crutches.
Correa himself told reporters in Houston that he tore a tendon in his left ankle (video link via McTaggart). The surgery required to repair the injury will keep him out for the next six to eight months. (Obviously, of course not (an ankle that caused enough medical concern to settle two major sales agents a few offseasons back.) As Correa explained, it was an unusual occurrence:
“I was hitting the cage – a normal day, feeling good. I went through all my routines, I got a swing, and I heard a pop. It just hit me, then I fell to the ground, I couldn’t put weight on it. Just a normal swing, but I heard a loud pop. I felt it. I felt it. I knew right away that something was wrong.”
With Correa’s season over, the Astros will be trading the shortstop Nick Allen again Braden Shewmake at the moment. Both are slow-hitting defensive specialists, though Shewmake took it Shohei Ohtani I hit a home run last night. Star shortstop Jeremy Peña is being repaired due to muscle stiffness and will regain daily shortstop duty once healthy. Peña’s return would put Correa back at third base, but the hot corner is now up for grabs Isaac Paredes to go forward, by resurrection Christian Walker in the beginning, Jose Altuve on second base as well Jordan Alvarez in the selected area.
Correa is the latest in a confusing line of major injuries for the Astros. He doesn’t just include Peña though Hunter Brown (applause), Josh Hader biceps tendinitis, Yainer Diaz (oblique strain), Jake Meyers (oblique strain), Tatsuya Imai (arm fatigue), Cristian Javier (applause), Joey Loperfido (quad strain) and Taylor Trammell (groin strain) as the Astros get a new injury this season. The ‘Stros are also still without a pitcher Ronel Blanco, Hayden Wesneski again Brandon Walterall three underwent UCL surgery in the 2025 season.
Suffice it to say that the 2026 season did not go according to plan. Houston’s 15-22 record is the fifth-best in Major League Baseball. The long absence of key players such as Correa, Brown, Hader and Peña conspired to dig an early hole from which it will be difficult to get out. The relegation, in particular, was terrible. Not only is Houston last in the majors with a team-wide 5.65 ERA — they’re 64 points north of the 29th-ranked D-backs, who sit at a team-high 5.01. The bullpen’s 6.20 ERA is the highest in MLB by nearly a full run over the 29th-ranked Angels (5.35). The rotation’s 5.13 ERA ranks 29th, slightly leading Arizona (5.20).
The 2026 trade deadline is less than three months away, but a mountain of injuries and poor performances so far make it difficult to envision a ‘Stros recovery – even with Alvarez and Walker combining to form one of the two most formidable playing teams in the game. The Astros will face some tough decisions at this year’s deadline, not only because of the current state of affairs but also because of the increasingly pessimistic long-term outlook.
[Related: The Astros’ Ominous Long-Term Outlook]
As for Correa, he is still signed for two more seasons beyond this year. He will earn $30.5MM in 2027 and $30MM in 2028, though the Twins are paying $10MM per year (2026-28) as part of the trade that sent Correa and more than $70MM of his remaining contract in Houston. His six-year, $200MM deal also contains a quartet of club options worth $25MM, $20MM, $15MM and $10MM, through the 2029-32 seasons. Those options may be based on Correa’s plate appearances in the previous season.
