Astros' Carlos Correa Receives Great News on Recovery For 2026 Return

The hope for the Astros superstar to have a miracle comeback from injury keeps growing.

Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa (1) breaks his bat on a line drive during the seventh inning against the Colorado Rockies at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Even after a disappointing series loss to the Toronto Blue Jays, momentum still remains for the Houston Astros. After winning 12 out of their last 15 games, the Astros are in the lead in the American League West division and still have a path to the postseason.

One of the biggest obstacles the Astros faced early on in the season was injuries. Houston was ravaged with multiple pitching pieces gone, and multiple position players out. Star infielder Carlos Correa was one of them.

While most of the Astros team has since gotten healthy and the team has gotten on a run, Correa has remained out. That was expected to be the case for the rest of the year as Correa had season-ending surgery to repair his left ankle tendon injury.

A conversation on his return wasn't even on the books at all. Yet, after just three months since suffering the injury, it seems like Correa might have a real chance of returning this season. This is a shocking and unexpected development that has taken over Astros fans' thoughts, given it was supposed to be a six- to eight-month time frame.

The Start of Correa's Journey of Rehab

Houston Astros infielder Carlos Correa (1) prepares to bat against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Could this really happen is the question. A potential Correa return late in the season or in the postseason would bring a huge boost to the offense, as well as make Astros manager Joe Espada make some big lineup decisions.

It started on July 31st when it was announced that Correa had begun light on-field activity, such as running and fielding ground balls. He already has a running progression as well. The 31-year-old suggested that he hadn't ruled out a return for 2026 given all the effort he's undergoing now.

While he feels great, Correa mentioned the next step of this process was to get cleared by a doctor to start swinging the bat. Well, the doctor's appointment ended up going quite well.

Correa got cleared on Tuesday to start swinging a bat, according to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com and is now set to really push the odds for an incredible early return.

Espada made some clarifications on how the swing progression will go for Correa on Wednesday and said the 12-year veteran will begin with dry swings, which involve no contact. He will then move to hitting off a tee and facing a front toss before finally facing live pitching.

This will be a "lengthy progression," according to McTaggart.

"He's been doing well. I know that he has been increasing his value of baseball activity," Espada said before the series finale against Toronto. "The fact that he can go in the cage and start swinging and emulating the movement that got him injured is a good thing."