Taking a look at how Carlos Correa could impact the Houston Astros if he is able to return this season.
The Houston Astros have been mostly healthy this season, but like every team in the MLB, they have had a few key players get injured, with one of the most important players being shortstop Carlos Correa, as he tore his peroneus brevis tendon on his left ankle on May 5th, which required surgery.
Following the surgery, Correa has been doing a solid job of recovering and actually could be making a return in the next month, according to manager Joe Espada, who said he expects Correa to be ready at some point in September.
If Correa is actually able to return in September, that could be a huge help for the Astros as they have struggled with consistency overall, as they now have an overall record of 68-67 and have a two-game lead over the Texas Rangers for the No. 1 spot in the AL West.
Getting back to Correa, since he was injured in May the Astros needed someone to play shortstop, so Houston decided to go with Jeremy Pena who has done a solid job, but has been a little inconsistent just like the rest of the lineup.
So, let's take a look at Pena's stats and Correa's stats to see what the Astros could be getting at the shortstop position should Correa be ready to go in September.
Starting with Pena, he has been a solid reserve with Correa being out. For the season, Pena has had 333 at-bats, and in those opportunities he has tallied 65 total runs, 95 hits, 16 home runs, 44 RBIs, and has recorded a batting average of .283, which is only behind Yordan Alvarez (3.18), who is currently chasing the Triple Crown.
Now transitioning to Correa, he was solid in the first few months of the season before he got hurt. During this season prior to the injury, Correa had 122 at-bats, and with those opportunities, he totaled 22 runs, 34 hits, three home runs, 16 RBIs, and recorded a .279 batting average, which ranks third on the Astros, only behind Pena and Alvarez.
After taking a glance at the stats, both Pena and Correa have had their moments this season, and it appears that Pena has actually done a solid job holding down the shortstop position at the plate in Correa's absence.
If Correa is able to come back, it is possible that he would replace Pena in the lineup, but before that, Correa would most likely play a few minor league games to get acclimated to game speed before the Astros would make the switch.
In terms of Correa's impact, he should be able to replicate the production from Pena at the plate, but he does have 13 years of MLB experience while Pena only has five years of experience in the Majors which could help the Astros on the defensive side to help make up for the struggles they have had from the mound.
On that note, based on the inconsistency that Houston has had from the mound, they cannot afford to have errors late in the season. So, having an experienced player like Correa, who has played in three World Series (2017, 2019, and 2021) and has won a World Series (2017), is something that should help the Astros tremendously in limiting major mistakes and could give them an opportunity to make a deep postseason run.
If Correa is able to return, his experience and success from the plate early in the season prior to his injury are two factors that suggest he could make a key impact down the stretch, which could potentially give the Astros a great chance to win the AL West and possibly compete for an American League title.
