Correa could return from ankle injury Sunday, Tuesday
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Carlos Correa tested his sprained left ankle Saturday with about 60-percent sprints on the Tropicana Field turf. Although he was out of the lineup for a second consecutive game, the Astros have not ruled out their star shortstop’s return for Sunday’s series finale against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Correa hit in the batting cage and fielded ground balls before the game after taking Friday off from baseball activities. Saturday was the first time he ran since suffering the injury running out a grounder Thursday in Arlington.
“It felt good,” he said. “It didn’t feel great, but it felt good. Hopefully, I will be back there soon.”
If Correa does not play Sunday, it’s likely he would return for Tuesday’s series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals. The Astros are off Monday. The reigning American League Rookie of the Year had started all but two of the team’s 62 games before the injury.
“Just went through a routine today,” he said. “I felt pretty good. I think I’ll be back there maybe tomorrow or the series against St. Louis.”
Marwin Gonzalez has taken advantage of his two games starting at shortstop in Correa’s stead. After recording two hits in Friday’s seriesopening loss, Gonzalez singled three times in Saturday’s 4-3 win. He batted second with Jose Altuve dropping to the three-hole for the second straight game.
“(Gonzalez) is very key for us to have as a weapon when anything happens,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “If somebody underperforms I can put him at a position. If anybody needs a day off in the infield (I can play him). He almost played left field the other day in Texas. I have a ton of confidence. I work to get him in the lineup because of the value that he brings.”
Healthy Gomez finds his power
During Monday’s loss to the Texas Rangers in Arlington, Carlos Gomez flipped his bat on a flyout to center field.
There was no chance of such a miscalculation reoccurring Saturday when Gomez connected with Chris Archer’s 86 mph slider, the first pitch the Astros’ center fielder saw in the seventh inning of his team’s 4-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays.
Gomez’s 445-foot blast off the batter’s eye tied Saturday’s game at 2. It was his third home run in his last six games. When the two-time All-Star landed on the disabled list May 16, he had yet to go deep in 132 plate appearances.
He celebrated his latest long ball in truly unusual fashion — wearing out the dugout bench with his batting helmet as teammates looked on.
“I crushed that ball,” he said. “I know it was to straight center, but I know when I’m hitting the ball right to (know) it’s going to be a home run for sure.”
Although still striking out at a high percentage since returning from the DL, Gomez has raised his OPS from .486 to .556 in his last nine games. Each of his three home runs are against All-Stars and opening-day starters in Oakland’s Sonny Gray, Texas’ Cole Hamels and Tampa Bay’s Archer.
“I feel really good,” Gomez said. “I’ve been taking more walks and hitting the ball more consistently.”
Odds and ends
The Astros snapped a six-game losing streak at Tropicana Field, winning at the ballpark Saturday for the first time since June 20, 2014. …
Luis Valbuena’s ninthinning homer off Dana Eveland was his first off a lefthander since June 23, 2015 ( C.J. Wilson of the Los Angeles Angels). …
Jason Castro’s .356 on-base percentage entering Saturday was the best among AL catchers to have logged at least 150 plate appearances. …
Erik Kratz, the Astros’ backup catcher for the season’s first six weeks, was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday from the Los Angeles Angels. Kratz signed a minor league deal with the Angels after he was designated for assignment by the Astros on May 16 and later released.