July 19: Correa announced today (via Instagram) that he’s undergone surgery to repair the ligament and that the operation was successful.
July 18,5:18pm: Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle tweets that Gonzalez is likely to see the bulk of playing time at shortstop, though Bregman could play there on days when Gonzalez is needed elsewhere on the field. Gonzalez can play first base, second base and in the corner outfield as well. Regardless, that combination will likely allow the ’Stros to cover Correa’s absence for the next month and a half or so.
3:12pm: The Astros announced devastating injury news today, revealing that shortstop Carlos Correa is expected to miss the next six to eight weeks with a torn ligament in his left thumb. Astros field reporter Julia Morales tweets that the injury will require surgery. Infielder Colin Moran has been recalled to replace Correa, who suffered the injury on a swing in last night’s game.
“Losing a player of Carlos’ caliber for an extended period is a big blow to our club, but I believe we have the roster to persevere and continue to win games,” said GM Jeff Luhnow in a press release announcing the news. “We do expect Carlos to return to the club in September and be ready to contribute down the stretch.”
That injury is the same ailment from which fellow AL West superstar Mike Trout just returned. Trout ultimately missed about six and a half weeks, although no two injuries are created equal, and we obviously don’t know if the extent of the tear is the same in each instance. But, that does serve as somewhat of a rough benchmark for Correa’s return to activity.
The Astros, meanwhile, will soldier on without one of the American League’s foremost MVP candidates for a significant stretch of time. On the plus side, Houston has a 15.5 game lead on the division, so the ’Stros aren’t really at risk of ceding the division to one of their rivals. Furthermore, Houston has a deep roster, with both Alex Bregman and Marwin Gonzalez capable of stepping in to play shortstop on a consistent basis. As such, a trade for someone such as Cincinnati’s Zack Cozart doesn’t seem particularly likely — especially not with Correa expected back well before season’s end.
Oh no! There goes another MVP candidate
I’m not even a Astro fan, but I still hate to see this.
It’s really nice to see Houston dominating.
Cozart
Moran. with Bregman moving to SS.
Yeah, they don’t even have to make a panic trade here, Bregman is a more than capable SS and Marwin Gonzalez has almost a 1.000 OPS and plays 3B. They probably won’t skip a beat they are so stacked.
They’ll be totally fine. Bregman’s best position is SS anyway, and they don’t really need Correa until October. They’ll do exactly nothing about it.
Bregman will stay at 3b and rotate with Moran. Martin everyday SS.
Marwin. Dang auto correct!
agree
Dafq?
No
If they really needed a temp short stop that can snag a free agent but they should be good
Horrible, why cant we have nice things?
That would have him back in action by September. Just need a capable defensive fill-in in the interim. This is bad, but not catastrophic.
Lowrie and Gray?
Lowrie on the Houston to Oakland to Houston to Oakland to Houston train
We got the Lowrie express going here. Lol.
I’m surprised Beane and Lunhow haven’t started a loan system with him letting him play for whoever is in contention at the time. Lol
Houston will now have to Pay , thur the Nose for Both !
Or just call up Moran and play Marwin/Bregman at SS and Bregman/Moran/Marwin/Gurriel at 3B
He will be back in time for the playoffs so this really doesn’t affect them at all.
It’s kind of a dumb thing to say it doesn’t affect them at all.
Will it knock them out of the playoff race? Unlikely. Will it affect team morale and possibly cause a momentum shift going into the playoffs? Very possible.
Nah, if he’s back by September, morale will be high going into the playoffs. There’s a small chance it could cost them the top seed, but Boston would have to play like the Dodgers have over the past month for that to happen.
They’ll actually weather the storm
Through his injury, a replacement will get some quality playing time and when he returns the team will get a huge boost like a trade. Houston will be fine, they’ve had such a strong 1st half they have some room to fall off a bit anyway.
As for a Correa, what a stud player, hopefully he heals well and continues his strong play when he gets back.
Schwarber missing 170 games last year didn’t affect the Cubs. The Astros will be fine.
I see your point but let’s not put Schwarber on Correa’s level.
Why not? He’s on Babe Ruth’s last I heard.
I agree. Schwarber has a ring
It may not matter in the division, but will definitely affect the home field race.
You think a single player is worth 10 wins in half a season? I doubt it. Losing Correa for 6 weeks might make the Astros 1-2 wins worse. They’re up on the next-best team in the AL by 10 games. I think they’ll be okay.
Astros should hope they lose home field advantage with the way they play on the road
Btw not serious
Could affect home field advantage at some time during playoffs, especially if they face the Dodgers in World Series.
the astros want to play away from home…..believe me
McCullers certainly does not
Those are hard shoes to fill… A’s Lowrie?
Bregman is better than Lowrie and Marwin Gonzalez plays 3B. This injury doesnt move the needle on the market at all.
Make Tigers a monster offer for Fulmer, Justin Wilson, and Jose Iglesias…..
Well that sucks
First Trout, now this? Save our stars’ thumbs!
Marwin Gonzalez will play 3B and Bregman will play SS. This won’t even affect the Astros
I hope they don’t do anything about this. If he were to miss the playoffs, absolutely address it. As is, they have a massive lead and will make the playoffs without him. Sucks for the Astros, sure, but it could be a whole lot worse.
No chance in hell they trade for sub. As stated they are stacked offense and it’ll be nice to see if Moran can play. Having great season in aaa. Does take away my prediction bregman would be traded for pitching.
Stros have the depth to withstand this blow. No trade is necessary. They are still the class of the AL.
I think they will bring in Cozart, mainly because even when Corea comes back, they will have nice depth going into the postseason. Most teams don’t have the ability that they have 2 all-star shortstops on their roster but the Astros have the chance to make it happen
They have Correa and Marwin, who has hit like an All Star
Daz Cameron should be enough to get Cozart right? If it is then the Astros should not hesitate to pull the trigger.
That’s a lot to give up for Cozart, who has struggled since coming back from the DL, and is due to level out. Might be more interesting to still focus on pitching and shift Bregman to SS and M. Gonzo to 3B. Still have some time before the Deadline.
Go M’s
Mets give them Duda and Asdrubal for a PTBNL
So Bregman to short and Marwin at 3rd? or do they make a move
yes that would fit, They all just called up Moran today so he might get some time at 3rd,
Lets go MarGo!
Tough break for both Correa and Astros. With any luck for them he’ll come back healthy and ready for the postseason.
If my Red Sox can’t make it it would be interesting to see the Astros in the Series.
If anything, I think this gives Luhnow more of a reason to trade for a SP. The runs will dip a little and need a pitcher to help balance it out.
Very true…. he’s been lucky to have the offense carry the load with pitching being hurt, now….. might be the time to make sure we can weather this storm for 2 months. Can’t expect the heart of the order to not lose some run scoring without Correa in there. Moran can hit decently, in AAA…. this will be his last shot in Houston. Or good trade bait if he does well.
Bregman moves to SS and with Colin Moran being called up he’ll go to 3rd. No need to make a move, outside of relief help.
relax. Bregman and Marwin Gonz (Margo). and Moran will play SS/3b and the Stros will add JD mart to play OF to replace the bat.
No way. No need for JD or to spend prospects on a rental. If we need OF help, Fisher comes up.
The only way the Astros add JDM is if they are cutting Beltran.
Relax on the crazy trades Stro’s fans. You’ll be fine. Giant lead and injury not season ending. Things will be fine. Work on needs you already have which aren’t too many. Wasting assets for a six week SS would be stupid.
We’re ok with Marwin and Moran filling in, but losing his bat will have a big impact.
Time to stop fooling around with the pitching staff and add some big league arms.
The ability to put up big numbers on the scoreboard is lessened,so we need starters to go 6 and relievers to lock things down, which is an issue even if Keuchel and McHugh come back and play to their usual level.
package of shark and nunez from the giants? they were asking already and nunez was previously a shortstop….
Both of them are pretty bad this year. They have Marwin to fill in at SS and Bregman can slide over from 3B. Nunez is not needed at all
Correa along with Trout…. stars are lining up for Judge’s MVP.
Judge is going down from here , he won’t even hit 300 !
Altuve
Judge will win ROY for sure but I definitely think that MVP is going to go to Altuve
That sucks
Bregman to the Tigers in return for J-Willie and Iglesias!
Done.
what if he aint good nomore after this?
What are the chances of that?
Jamie Garcia to Astros for Stubbs ???
That’s not an upgrade for Astros rotation. We are set to have :
Keuchel, McCullers, Morton, Mchugh, and Fiers/Peacock. Only upgrade will be TOR starter. Mchugh comes back Saturday. Keuchel comes back soon he’s already had a rehab start
The 6 to 8 weeks without Correa doesn’t hurt the Astros that badly with that huge divisional lead they have. The real potential problem is whether or not Correa’s play is going to suffer during the playoffs, since thumb injuries tend to linger for a while.
Get on the Phone with the Phillies!!! We are having a fire sale, everything must go!
Maybe go after someone like Ryan Goins or Darwin Barney could be had for cheap for some extra depth at the position, plus I think they could also look at Aybar for depth as well. Or even a guy like Peralta who is a FA
Houston: call Avila and get Iglesias and Justin Wilson. Solves two problems and the cost of 4 prospects which you can spare. We need the help!