The Astros lost their most significant rehab case on Tuesday when manager Joe Espada confirmed Carlos Correa will not return this season. The decision came without a fresh setback, as Espada explained that the daily workload required to get Correa back before the postseason simply became unsustainable for the 31-year-old, who had undergone peroneus brevis tendon repair surgery on his left ankle in May.

Correa's absence stings given how well he was hitting. He slashed .279/.369/.418 across 32 games before the injury ended his year at the start of May.

The rest of Houston's injury report offers a more mixed picture. Outfielder and infielder Brice Matthews, sidelined since mid-July with a left knee sprain, has been building back up at Triple-A Sugar Land. He played nine innings in center field on Sept. 10 and went 0 for 3 with a walk, then moved to second base two days later. No return date has been announced.

Right-hander Mike Burrows, out since July with right elbow neuritis and shoulder inflammation, threw a bullpen session on Sept. 13 at the club's spring training facility in West Palm Beach. His timeline also remains open-ended.

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Left-hander Steven Okert is the closest to coming back. Placed on the 15-day injured list on Sept. 4 with a right hamstring strain, retroactive to Sept. 1, he has been throwing in Florida and is expected to be activated around Sept. 15.

Brandon Walter remains the longest-term absence on the staff. The left-hander underwent Tommy John surgery in September 2025 to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament and is not expected back until 2027.

Houston has also been active on the transaction wire. The club claimed outfielder Jorge Barrosa off waivers from the Diamondbacks on Sept. 7 and optioned Jake Meyers to Sugar Land the same day, then recalled right-hander Miguel Ullola on Sept. 6 while sending Kai-Wei Teng down.

All of it lands with the Astros at 75-75, clinging to a one-game lead over the Rangers atop a weak American League West. Without Correa, a postseason run against clubs like the Rays or Yankees becomes a far steeper climb than Houston hoped for when the rehab rumors were still alive.