Carlos Correa\u2019s recovery from surgery to repair a torn ankle tendon is progressing quicker than expected and on Saturday the Houston Astros\u2019 star infielder didn\u2019t rule out a return this season.<\/p>\n
Correa was expected to miss the entire season after undergoing on his left ankle on May 11. But he is already doing everything except hitting, sparking hope that he could be back on the field sooner than expected.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll see,\u201d he said when asked if he could play again this year. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t be doing all this work if I didn\u2019t think there was a chance.\u201d<\/p>\n
After Correa was injured while taking swings in the batting cage, a timeline of six to eight months was given for his recovery. Manager Joe Espada said Saturday that Correa is ahead of schedule but knows that he still has a long way to go before he can return to the lineup.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m just happy that he\u2019s out here moving around and he actually looks really good,\u201d Espada said.<\/p>\n
The 31-year-old Correa said he\u2019s running at 80-90% and that he has a doctor\u2019s appointment scheduled for Tuesday where he hopes to be cleared for hitting.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m in a really good spot, a really good spot,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t feel it. I\u2019ve been progressing to running and sprinting and everything feels great.\u201d<\/p>\n
Houston has won nine of 10 games to vault into first place in the AL West and that has given Correa some extra juice as he eyes a return.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe way we\u2019ve been playing lately definitely motivates me even more to go out there, put in the work to try to make it back,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Correa isn\u2019t surprised that he\u2019s doing so well because of the plan he put together as soon as he was injured.<\/p>\n
\u201cI got on this protocol and I started looking for all the information I could into how to speed up the process and the things that I needed to eat and how I needed to sleep, the type of treatment I needed\u201d he said. \u201cAnd we\u2019ve been doing a great job with that, so we\u2019re in a good spot.\u201d<\/p>\n