Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa will sit out the remainder of the regular season to rest his ailing back, but the team is hopeful he will be ready for Game 1 of the American League Division Series next week.
Correa saw a doctor in Los Angeles on Thursday and nothing serious was found with his back, manager AJ Hinch said before Thursday night’s series opener against the Los Angeles Angels.
Correa was a late scratch from Tuesday’s game in Seattle after a long flight from Houston. He was expected to be ready for Wednesday but was unable to play.
The Astros already had said Correa wouldn’t play in Thursday’s series opener because of a late arrival to Los Angeles.
Correa has battled injuries all season, missing two months after a rib was fractured during a massage and then about a month with back discomfort. With the latter, he returned from the 10-day injured list Sept. 17.
He is hitting .279 with 21 home runs for the AL West champs. Houston entered Thursday 2½ games ahead of the New York Yankees for the best record in the AL.