Astros Triple-A Notes: Correa finishes rehab assignment

Carlos Correa finished his rehab assignment with the Astros’ Triple-A affiliate, posting solid numbers at the plate.

With star shortstop Carlos Correa rejoining the Astros on Friday, his performance in Wednesday’s game with Triple-A Round Rock proved to be the last of his six-game rehab assignment.

Correa hit .333 with a .417 on-base percentage and three doubles, notching three walks against five strikeouts. He went 0-for-4 in his return to the Astros lineup on Friday, but the important thing is he’s healthy and he’s back.

A few other players are making waves at Round Rock this season, notably Joshua Rojas. The versatile infielder enjoyed a nice six-game hitting streak recently, totaling 10 hits in that span with five homers and nine RBIs. He’s now ranked as the team’s No. 22 prospect, drawing comparisons to Marwin Gonzalez.

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The lefty-swinger is hitting .303/.393/.591 with Round Rock, belting 12 homers and stealing 17 bases in 50 games. Before that, he hit .322/.405/.561 with eight homers in 44 games for Double-A Corpus Christi. He could be a name to watch if the Astros need some further help in the infield.

Notable Pitching Performances

Brandon Bielak, now the team’s No. 14 prospect, has had some ups and a few downs in his nine Triple-A starts thus far. But he had another big up recently, tossing seven scoreless innings on July 20, allowing just one hit and striking out seven.

The 23-year-old southpaw was the team’s 11th-round draft pick out of Notre Dame in 2017 and offers four solid pitches, which he can parlay into a strong career as a starting pitcher if he continues to improve and refine.

Fellow lefty Kent Emanuel recently was moved to the starting rotation after pitching in relief this season, and the results have been sterling. He tossed six innings of one-run ball in relief on July 17 and followed that up with seven scoreless frames in his start on Wednesday.

Emanuel was the team’s third-round pick in 2013 and has progressed rather slowly thanks to some injury issues, but the 27-year-old could surprise some people if he continues to progress. He’s posted a 5-1 record and 4.26 ERA on the season.

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Meanwhile, Framber Valdez struggled in his return to Round Rock. He lasted only 3.2 innings in Tuesday’s game, allowing three runs on three hits and five walks. He still holds a 3.12 ERA in Triple-A this year but may not get another shot in the big league rotation in 2019 thanks to his 5.58 ERA with the Astros.