Astros: Carlos Correa slamming his was out of his slump

While hitting the injured list due to health and safety protocol the weekend before the All-Star break, Carlos Correa could never find a groove after. His fielding remained top notch, as he still stands in the 97th percentile in outs above average.

For the Houston Astros, they are finding success in Aledmys Diaz and more recently in Jake Meyers, but for Correa, he has quietly broke out of his slump in the past two weeks. The right-hander’s go-ahead solo-shot against the Kansas City Royals on Monday in the sixth inning was only his third home run in his past 30 games.

While the Astros are trying to build a winning rhythm, Carlos Correa’s is quietly breaking out of his slump.

A week ago, Correa was slashing .189/.265/.338 with a .603 OPS, which aren’t numbers anywhere close to what his All-Star resume has been displaying. On the season, the right-hander is sitting at an .838 OPS, while his peripherals are still showing an elite plate approach.

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Slumps aren’t an everlasting aspect of the game especially for a top shortstop like Correa, who is now slashing .281/.354/.491 over his last 15 games with two home runs. An OPS of .845 does stand above the league average but it also points to Correa not displaying much power and slug in his swing.

Correa’s power has diminished over the years with his home run total fluctuating depending on availability and health. While at 19 homers on the season through 108 games, the right-hander slugged 24 in 109 games during his ’17 season.

His July and early August slump didn’t help break this total, but he is still on pace to surpass his season record. Correa has struck out at a lower rate than in years past also, as his strikeout percentage sits below 20% for the first time since 2017.

One category that Correa doesn’t stand near the top in is left on base (184), as the right-hander is out of the top 100 in the statistic. Sometimes a change in approach and hitting for average can help a hitter find their swing, which is exactly what Correa could be doing based on his recent production.

After a 7-6 loss on Monday, the Astros are back in action on Tuesday at 7:10 p.m. with Framber Valdez squaring off against left-hander Daniel Lynch.