Houston Astros: Carlos Correa out 6-8 weeks with thumb injury
By Anthony Sosa
Houston Astros’ star shortstop Carlos Correa left Monday’s game against the Seattle Mariners with a left thumb injury. The Astros announced Tuesday that Correa would miss six to eight weeks.
In the bottom of the fourth inning of the Mariners and Astros’ game on Monday, Carlos Correa injured his left thumb while swinging at a pitch. He left the game following the painful swing. The shortstop suffered a torn ligament in his thumb that requires surgery. Correa’s expected to miss six to eight weeks.
The injury to Correa is the same injury that caused Los Angeles Angels’ star outfielder Mike Trout to miss seven and a half weeks of the 2017 season.
Correa injured the same thumb earlier this month while sliding into home plate in a game against the Atlanta Braves, July 5. That injury led to x-rays, but they came back negative and resulted in no DL stint.
Correa’s in the midst of a breakout season in 2017. According to ESPN stats and info, Correa’s been the best offensive shortstop in the game this season. He ranks first among shortstops in hits, home runs, RBI and OPS.
His 2017 slash line sits at .320/.400/.566 with 20 home runs, 67 RBI and 64 runs. This is a tough blow for an Astros’ team that can do no wrong so far this season. Looking at the injury timetable they won’t see Correa back in the lineup until sometime in September.
Luckily for the Astros, the team holds a 16.5 game lead over the second place Mariners for the AL West lead. They also own the best record in the AL. The next closest team, the Boston Red Sox, sit 10 wins behind them.
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With Correa out, the Astros turn to Marwin Gonzalez to fill the void at shortstop. So far in 2017, the Astros have used Gonzalez all over the field, as a utility man. He finally settles into a full-time position while Correa recovers.
Gonzalez, like Correa, is having a breakout season for Houston. Gonzalez is hitting .310/.391/.574 with 17 home runs, 55 RBI and 44 runs. The 28-year-old has already surpassed his season-high totals in home runs and RBI.
The loss of Correa will sting for the Astros, but with Gonzalez filling in and their sizable lead out West and in the AL, the injury won’t hurt the club too much.
The Astros also called up minor leaguer Colin Moran from the Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies on Tuesday. Moran’s hitting .308/.373/.543 with 18 home runs, 63 RBI and 53 runs in Fresno while primarily manning the corner infield spots.
Other Injury Updates for Houston:
Ace Dallas Keuchel pitched in a rehab game for the Corpus Christi Hooks on Monday. He threw three innings, allowed zero runs on two hits and a walk. He also struck out three batters.
According to Astros’ beat reporter Brian McTaggart, Keuchel will pitch in another rehab start before rejoining the Astros.
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The return of Dallas Keuchel will provide the Astros with a big addition. The 2015 Cy Young award winner owns a 9-0 record with a 1.67 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and 69 strikeouts.