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Astros’ Carlos Correa (ankle surgery) not ruling out 2026 return

By Thomson Reuters Aug 2, 2026 | 2:37 PM

On May 11, Carlos Correa underwent what he thought was season-ending surgery on his left ankle.

On Saturday, he began working out on the field again, well ahead ​of the original six- to eight-month recovery timeline. That ‌has the Astros’ third baseman optimistic his season isn’t over after all.

“We’ll see,” Correa said. “I wouldn’t be doing all this work if I didn’t think there was a chance.”

Correa has progressed to doing all baseball activities ‌except ​hitting, and he said he could be ⁠cleared to do that, ⁠too, following a Tuesday doctor’s appointment.

“As soon as I got hurt, I got on this protocol,” he told reporters. “I started looking for all the information I could and how to ​speed up the process and the things I needed to eat and how I needed to sleep, the type of ⁠treatment we needed. We’ve been doing ⁠a great job with that. We’re in a good ​spot.”

Correa is not even halfway through his projected recovery timeline. Should ​he rejoin the Astros’ lineup for the stretch run, ‌his bat and glove would be a big boost for a 57-55 Houston club that led the American League West standings by 1 1/2 games over the Rangers entering Sunday’s game.

While it’s ⁠unclear how he would slot in on defense, Correa’s bat would certainly be welcome among the top-heavy lineup. The three-time All-Star slashed .279/.369/.418 with ⁠three homers and ‌16 RBIs in 32 games this season ⁠prior to the injury, which occurred while Correa ​took pregame ‌swings in the batting cage on May ​5.

The 31-year-old ⁠is a career .275 hitter with 203 homers and 740 RBIs across 12 MLB seasons, including two stints (2015-21; 2025-present) with the Astros.

“I’m in a really good spot. A really good spot,” he said. “I don’t feel (the injury). Been progressing to running and sprinting, and it feels ​great.”

–Field Level Media