With Correa Out for the Season, What’s Next for Houston?

With Wednesday morning brought news that Carlos Correa has suffered a significant ankle injury that will require surgery. The surgery will end the Houston Astros‘ starting shortstop’s 2026 season.

It was a conspicuous end to the season for Correa, who suffered the injury during batting practice prior to Tuesday night’s win over the Los Angeles Dodgers. He went 0-for-4, but has been off to a solid start this season, batting .279 with 16 RBIs. Alongside young slugger Yordan Alvarez, he was a large part of why Houston was still excited about the season ahead in spite of their slow start to the year.

Correa was a surprise trade at last year’s Deadline. The veteran was swapped over from the Minnesota Twins to bolster Houston for a playoff run that didn’t materialize. It marked a return for the veteran, who was drafted first overall in the 2012 draft by the Astros. But Correa wasn’t just a good bat to pick up, he was a needed leader in the clubhouse, and his presence will be sorely missed.

Myriad Injuries Destroy Astros’ 2026

It’s felt like Houston’s season was over before it ever started. The club has a ridiculous 14 players on the injured list. That group is made up of Ronel Blanco, Hunter Brown, Correa, Yainer Diaz, Josh Hader, Tatsuya Imai, Cristian Javier, Joey Loperfido, Jake Meyers, Nate Pearson, Jeremy Peña, Taylor Trammell, Brandon Walter and Hayden Wesneski.

Those injuries have decimated the clubhouse, forcing the Astros to fourth-place in the American League West. The only club that they’re currently ahead of is the Los Angeles Angels. Houston could certainly mount a comeback later in the season when those starters are back, but they need to tread water until then and the Correa news doesn’t help matters.

The Astros’ roster has been primarily made up of younger guys who should probably have spent more time in Triple-A. The problem is that Houston no longer has that luxury due to their bad luck with injuries. Because of that, those young players are being relied on far more than they should be.

That being said, if the Astros want to reverse their 15-22 record, they’ll need that group of players to produce. Not a ton, but enough to get to a .500 record. That could be enough to salvage this season for Houston as they await their many injured players’ return.