HOUSTON -- The Astros spent all winter trying to trade third baseman Isaac Paredes in an effort to clear up their crowded infield picture. A deal never materialized, which now looks like a blessing in disguise. Astros third baseman Carlos Correa will be out for the remainder of the regular season ,and is set to undergo surgery to repair a tendon in his right ankle.
A hobbled Correa made his way into manager Joe Espada’s office using crutches at Daikin Park on Wednesday and delivered the devastating injury news. He will miss the remainder of the 2026 season, dealing the Astros yet another injury blow in a season that’s been full of them.
“Pretty tough,” Correa said. “Not what I was expecting, but now it’s time to deal with this, face it head on and focus on the rehab.”
The Astros have their starting third baseman (Correa), shortstop (Jeremy Peña ), catcher (Yainer Diaz), center fielder (Jake Meyers) and left fielder (Joey Loperfido) on the injured list, along with starting pitchers Hunter Brown, Tatsuya Imai and Cristian Javier and closer Josh Hader.
“Talking to Carlos this morning was really, really hard -- what he means to this team and this organization and personally to me as his manager and his friend,” Espada said. “I’ve known him for a very long time. It sucks, but we have to move on.”
How did Correa get injured?
He was in the batting cage prior to Tuesday’s game against the Dodgers and felt a pop in his ankle while taking a swing and dropped to the ground. The initial imaging late Tuesday showed a significant injury, and the tendon injury was confirmed after meeting with a foot specialist Wednesday morning.
“I was hitting in the cage, a normal day, feeling great and going through my routine,” Correa said. “I took a swing and just felt a pop. It just completely snapped on me and I fell to the ground and couldn't put weight on it. Right away I knew something was wrong.”
Correa hasn’t scheduled surgery yet and still plans to meet with more doctors to determine the best path forward. Regardless, he’s facing a recovery of six to eight months, but he should be ready for 2027.
“I’m a man of faith,” he said. “I know we might not understand it now, but I’m going to keep moving forward and trusting the Lord’s plan and I’m going to keep a positive attitude. Even though it comes at a moment where I’m falling in love with baseball more than ever, I have a great group of guys and I understand He’s in control and I’m going to keep moving forward and focus on the rehab.”
Who plays third base for the Astros?
Paredes, who played third during the first half of last season before he suffered a hamstring injury, will now man the hot corner full-time, with Peña playing shortstop when he returns. That should be soon. Peña will travel with the Astros to Cincinnati this weekend and then go out on a Minor League rehab assignment.
Paredes has started 15 of the last 16 games at third base for the Astros and will be entrenched there going forward. Paredes was acquired from the Cubs in the Kyle Tucker trade in December 2024, and he was an All-Star last year before missing most of the second half of the season with a right hamstring strain, prompting the Astros to trade for Correa and move him to third.
“It's a gut punch, but it's not the end of the world,” Astros general manager Dana Brown said. “We still have a very competitive team. We thank God we have the depth still in the infield, particularly when Jeremy comes back. The team's still built to win. No doubt about it. You're losing your captain on the field, and you're losing the production that he was bringing, but he'll still be around. We'll still have his support.”
Is this the same ankle Correa injured before?
No, Correa fractured his right fibula sliding into third base in 2014 while playing for High-A Lexington of the Astros system. It was that same ankle injury that caused the Mets and the Giants to back out of mega deals with Correa in the winter prior to the 2023 season. Correa eventually re-signed with the Twins, who traded him back to Houston last July.