News broke Wednesday morning that Carlos Correa suffered a serious ankle injury that will require surgery. The surgery will rule out the Houston Astros' starting shortstop's 2026 season.
It was an apparent end to the season for Correa, who was injured during batting practice before Tuesday night's win over the Los Angeles Dodgers. He went 0 for 4, but is off to a solid start this season, hitting .279 with 16 RBI. Along with young slugger Yordan Alvarez, he was a big part of why Houston was still excited for the upcoming season despite a slow start to the year.
Korea was a surprise trade at last year's deadline. The veteran player was traded to the Minnesota Twins to strengthen Houston for a playoff race, which did not succeed. This marked the return of the veteran player who was drafted by the Astros with the first pick in the 2012 draft. But Correa wasn't just a good hitter, he was an essential leader in the clubhouse, and his presence will be greatly missed.
Myriad injuries destroy Astros' 2026
It felt like Houston's season was over before it even started. 14 players of the club are on the injured list. That group is made up of Ronel Blanco, Hunter Brown, Corea, Yener Diaz, Josh Hader, Tatsuya Imai, Cristian Javier, Joey Loperfido, Jake Meyers, Nate Pearson, Jeremy Pena, Taylor Trammell, Brandon Walter, and Hayden Wesneski.
Those injuries destroyed the clubhouse, forcing the Astros into fourth place in the American League West. The only club they are currently ahead of is the Los Angeles Angels. Houston can certainly bounce back later in the season once those starters return, but until then they need to be cautious and the news from Correa won't help matters.
The Astros' roster is primarily made up of young guys who probably should have spent more time in Triple-A. The problem is that Houston no longer has that luxury due to bad luck with injuries. Because of this, those young players are being trusted more than necessary.
That being said, if the Astros want to reverse their 15-22 record, they will need that group of players. Not a ton, but enough to reach a .500 record. This could be enough for Houston to save this season as they await the return of several of their injured players.
