Astros: Is Carlos Correa too fragile for future investment?

Astros Carlos Correa is injured once again and is day-to-day, for now. But with his history, is he too much of a risk for a big-money long-term contract?

In last night’s game against the Detroit Tigers, Carlos Correa felt discomfort in his back and was pulled out of the Astros lineup following his strikeout in the first inning. Jose Altuve, who was scheduled the day off,  came into the game to replace Correa.

Correa had apparently mentioned prior to the game that he was having trouble getting loose and comfortable. After his swing and a miss for a strikeout, he approached A.J. Hinch voicing his concerns. “That didn’t feel great,” Hinch said. “Then he came in and took a couple of pitches for strikes. The last swing, he just came right to us and said he couldn’t go.”

He is currently considered day-to-day and will be re-evaluated today. But no one knows better than Correa how back issues can linger on for quite a while. That was all too evident during the 2018 season when back pain caused him to miss significant time and he never really overcame it the remainder of the year.

Last season, Correa was on the Disabled List for 36 games suffering from back pain. When he returned to play for the Astros in mid-August, he just wasn’t the same player. In the 37 games he appeared in the remainder of the season, Correa batted .180 with just two home runs to his name. Correa also missed 42 games down the stretch of the 2017 season due to an injured thumb ligament.

Fast forward to this season and he has already missed 50 games from the infamous rib fracture he obtained while receiving a massage at his residence. Since his return, he has batted .241, well below his average. Granted, he’s contributed eight home runs and 21 RBIs in those 21 games. But now with the back problem reoccurring, who knows how this will affect the rest of the season and will he miss more time.

Correa has only played more than 110 games in a season once in his career, and that was back in 2016. He has two more years left in arbitration and won’t be eligible for free agency until 2022. There have been thoughts as to whether the front office should secure his future with the Astros by locking him up with a long-term contract.

There is no doubt that when healthy, Carlos Correa can be one of the best players in the league, both with his bat and his glove. But is a big-money contract really wise at this point? Should they wait and see if he can remain healthy or should they take the risk?