The Houston Astros' extended run of relevance in the standings may finally be winding down. That's a question worth pondering as the struggling club deals with yet another devastating injury.
Correa's Season-Ending Injury
The latest blow is the major ankle injury suffered by infielder Carlos Correa while taking batting practice on Tuesday. Correa will undergo surgery on his injured left ankle and miss the remainder of the 2026 season, he told reporters Wednesday via MLB.com.
Key background: In 2022, Correa had free-agent deals with the Giants and then the Mets scuttled over concerns about his pre-signing physicals. In the Mets' case, the deal fell apart over concerns about Correa's right ankle—the opposite one causing him trouble this year. He eventually signed a discounted deal with the Twins.
Correa, who at last year's trade deadline reunited with the team that originally made him the No. 1 overall pick in 2012, had been enjoying a strong 2026 campaign. As the Astros' leadoff hitter in front of early MVP candidate Yordan Alvarez, Correa was batting .279/.369/.418 with rejuvenated defense at shortstop in place of Jeremy Peña.
The loss of Correa is a huge blow to a team that's already dealt with many of them this season.
ARoster Decimated by Injuries
Once he's placed on the injured list, Correa will join 13 teammates on the IL—a number of them core contributors. There's injuries and then there's carnage. In Houston, it's a case of the latter.
Current IL casualties include:
- Jeremy Peña (hamstring strain)
- Star closer Josh Hader (biceps tendinitis)
- Cy Young finalist Hunter Brown (shoulder strain)
- Rotation stalwart Ronel Blanco (Tommy John)
- Marquee offseason addition Toshiya Imai (arm fatigue)
- The underrated Cristian Javier (shoulder strain)
- Starting catcher Yainer Diaz (oblique)
- Starting left fielder Joey Loperfido (quad strain)
Throw in another round of free-agent departures (Framber Valdez to the Tigers), the possible age-related decline of future Hall of Famer Jose Altuve, and a thinned-out farm system not equipped to supply reinforcements, and it's little surprise the Astros are struggling.
Record and Playoff Odds
Although they managed a crisp 2-1 win over the champion Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday, the Astros are still just 15-22 on the season with a minus-27 run differential.
Schedule strength: Houston has put up those marks despite, according to opponents' average winning percentage, having played the weakest schedule to date in all of Major League Baseball.
If paces hold, the Astros this season will go 66-96, which would be their worst record since 2013, when they were deep in the throes of tanking under disgraced former lead executive Jeff Luhnow. The loss of Correa makes it possible they'll be even worse moving forward.
Fall of a Dynasty
That's a jarring reversal of fortunes for a club that's ripped off 10 straight winning seasons and made the postseason in nine of the last 11 years. Along the way, the Astros won a pair of World Series titles and made it at least as far as the American League Championship Series for seven consecutive years.
In a sport like MLB, with its randomness and multi-layered postseason format, that's a modern dynasty. It's also something that feels further and further away with each day and each new IL move.
Pitching Staff in Disarray
At a performance level, the ravaged pitching staff has been Houston's undoing. The Astros presently rank last in MLB with a staff ERA of 5.65.
Rotation struggles: The starting rotation is 29th in MLB with an ERA of 5.13 and 22nd with an FIP of 4.56.
Bullpen woes: The bullpen is dead last with a wholly unworkable ERA of 6.20 and also dead last with an FIP of 5.75.
This situation hasn't been helped by an Astros team defense that ranks 28th in MLB in Defensive Efficiency Rating—the percentage of balls in play that a defense converts into outs.