Astros: Carlos Correa Injury Update

When it rains, it pours for the Houston Astros. Especially on the injury front.

After escaping more than half the season without many notable players missing time, it appears that the injury bug finally caught up to the Houston Astros.

First it was Luis Valbuena. Then Dallas Keuchel. This time it was star shortstop Carlos Correa who got bit by the bug.

Per Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle, Astros management stated that the shoulder inflammation occurred during the first game of the series in Cleveland. Correa basically made a few dives on some balls during the game which in turn caused him to tweak his shoulder. The inflammation then proceeded to increase the following game.

The good news though is that the Astros do not expect Correa to be out for long.

Via Kaplan’s article with the Houston Chronicle:

"Hinch said he is optimistic Correa will be able to play this weekend “at some point.” He will rejoin the team Friday at Minute Maid Park."

To cover Correa’s position of shortstop for tonight’s game the Astros decided hand it off to rookie infielder Alex Bregman. This will be only the third time that Bregman has appeared as a shortstop since his promotion in late July. It remains to be seen what the team decides for Thursday’s game.

https://twitter.com/astros/status/773634857977208833

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Unfortunately, Correa’s injury comes at just the wrong time for the Astros as the team is in the mix for a Wild Card spot. Not to mention that the Astros still have one game in Cleveland following tonight then head home to face the Chicago Cubs and Texas Rangers. There is a lot riding on the next week of games as the postseason race heats up.

And if Correa’s shoulder gives him issues or the examination returns worse than initially thought, the Astros could be in a world of hurt.

Don’t forget 21-year old shortstop has been a consistent, and usually healthy, force in the Astros lineup this season. After all, he is just one RBI behind Jose Altuve for the team lead and has posted a respectable .274/.362/.460 slash line. Correa also ranks in the top ten of Offensive WAR (5.7) in all of baseball. Not to mention that he did set the all-time home run record by an Astros shortstop in just his second season.

This is Correa’s first time to miss a game since a day off in Tampa earlier this summer with a hurt ankle. Let’s just hope that this injury remains in that same day-to-day category as the ankle. If not, the Astros season could turn south rather quickly.

**Statistics courtesy of Baseball Reference**