Last year, Correa had grappled with injuries, as so many players did, ultimately landing himself on the injured list alongside his teammates. Now, the Astros are hoping he can return to his previous form and succeed at third base. <\/p>\n
According to recent MLB preseason rankings from Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report<\/a>, the 31-year-old comes in at No. 11 among the league’s starting third basemen. He came up just short of the Top 10, primarily out of caution. <\/p>\n With his 2026 campaign quickly approaching, will he be able to provide stability in his hot corner role<\/a>, or will he start to sputter?<\/p>\n Correa Must Lead Hot Corner Houston Astros third baseman Carlos Correa | Erik Williams-Imagn Images<\/p>\n When Correa is healthy, he can be a game-changing element at the plate and around the diamond. During his 2025 campaign, split between Minnesota and Houston, he slashed .276\/.332\/.402 with a .734 OPS and 13 homers through 144 games. <\/p>\n While this certainly doesn’t compare to his 2017 slashline of .315\/.391\/.550, and his stunning .941 OPS and 24 homes, the Astros are still banking on him bouncing back to the player they once knew. Of course, his ability to stay healthy will be a major key to this<\/a>, as it will be for the entire franchise. <\/p>\n Correa’s skill on defense is particularly impressive, having earned a Gold Glove Award at shortstop in 2021 and being named a three-time All-Star. Now claiming the hot corner, he has a unique opportunity to claim another Gold Glove Award, this time at third base. If he’s successful in doing so, he would become the first player in Major League Baseball to receive the honor in both positions. <\/p>\n![\"Houston](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/01kh9f9vehs34cpy8cgk.jpg\" "\\"Houston")
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