The Houston Astros suffered a massive blow on Wednesday after Carlos Correa announced that he will undergo ankle surgery. The surgery will sideline Correa for the remainder of the season.

The Astros shortstop was taking swings in the batting cage prior to Tuesday’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, remarking that he “just felt it pop.” “It just completely snapped on me, and then I fell to the ground,” Correa told reporters. “I couldn’t put weight on it. Right away, I knew something was wrong.”

Correa’s absence adds to the long list of players out for the Astros – catcher Yainer Diaz suffered an oblique injury Tuesday, while Hunter Brown is out due to a shoulder strain. Jeremy Peña is also absent due to a hamstring strain. As expected, these injuries impacted Houston’s plans.

Nick Allen and Braden Shewmake are at shortstop to fill the void in Correa and Peña’s absences. Issac Paredes will play third base for the rest of 2026.

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Early-season projections had Houston being a contender for a playoff spot if key players stayed healthy – SB Nation writers had them finishing with roughly 86 wins. Now, Houston is on pace to finish 77-85 per FanGraphs based on their current play.

The starting rotation is ranked 29th in the majors with a 5.13 ERA, while the bullpen has a 6.20 ERA across all relievers. Houston’s offense is third in batting average (.264) despite losing notable bats. Even though Houston still has Yordan Alvarez, Christian Walker and Jose Altuve, it’ll be tough for them to climb out of their hole. The Astros will be pondering their future heavily as the trade deadline nears because their core is getting older, further narrowing their championship window.

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Christian Bongiorno

Article by Christian Bongiorno

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