The Houston Astros are currently playing for their playoff lives, holding a slim lead in the American League West division. Houston hasn’t been able to put together much consistency this season, but they have been able to stay alive in the race.
Heading into the final weeks of the season, the Astros feel good about their chances to get into the playoffs. Even with the Texas Rangers breathing down their neck in the division, Houston believes if they can play their game, they can get into the dance.
Houston currently owns a two-game lead over the Rangers in the division, sitting with a record of 72-69 for the year. The Astros have gone 7-3 over their last 10 games overall, adding more to their feeling of confidence.
But the team has been playing without star Carlos Correa since May. Correa underwent surgery to repair a torn peroneus brevis tendon after suffering the injury during swings in the batting cage.
Correa was originally expected to be out for the entire remainder of the season, but he has progressed well enough to potentially get back. His return could spark this team, adding another veteran bat for the stretch run.
Before going out with the injury, Correa had hit .279 with three home runs and 16 RBIs, while posting an OPS of .787. His bat could bring more fire to this Astros lineup as they try to make a postseason run.
Carlos Correa Injury Update
Astros manager Joe Espada discussed the health of Correa while on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM. In this, he did make a claim that Correa should be back toward the end of the season, giving the team a boost.
“The next two weeks are gonna be huge for his progress. He will report to West Palm this weekend and just straight up, you know, high volume of work. Running the bases, now starting to take BP on the field; at some point, we’re gonna have him slide,” Espada said. “And how can his body be on his feet for a couple hours? That’s another thing: wearing cleats for an hour and a half when he goes to his entire workout, how he feels the next day, and then get him out and playing some games and see how we feel and how he bounces back. But right now, I have no doubt that if everything goes as planned, we should be seeing Carlos Correa here toward the end of the season.”
This is huge for Houston, and the team could get one of its leaders back just in time for the playoffs. But the Astros can’t bank on Correa returning, and instead look at him as a potential option for the stretch run of the year.
Can Astros Get Into Playoffs?
Given where the Astros are currently, the team should be able to get into the playoffs. With the AL being much weaker than normal this season, Houston is in a solid place to get in.
But nothing is guaranteed, and the final few weeks of the season could spell trouble if the Astros aren’t careful.
Astros Manager Reveals Major Injury Update on Carlos Correa