Carlos Correa Placed on Astros 10-Day DL with Back Injury

Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa will be placed on the 10-day disabled list with a back injury, according to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart.

Correa had missed the last two games as a result of "a little bit of back stiffness." Initially, Houston manager A.J. Hinch was hoping that a couple of days off would help his star make it through a tough stretch in the schedule.

"He's doing fine," Hinch said, via MLB.com's Christian Boutwell. "He's been battling a little bit of back stiffness. We're playing 23 out of 24 days. We're in the midst of the grind of the season right before the All-Star break. Now, I'm always looking for a day off. We've talked about rest for the better part of the last couple of weeks."

Ultimately, the team felt it was important to just get Correa healthy so the injury doesn't linger, via McTaggart:

The first-time All-Star finished with a .315/.391/.550 slash line, 24 home runs and 84 RBI in 2017 and was a primary reason the Astros ran away with the American League West and won the World Series. He has followed up with .268/.352/.480 with 13 home runs, 16 doubles and 49 RBI in 2018 and figures to be a mainstay All-Star moving forward.

Correa also reached the 20-home-run mark for the third straight year in 2017 after doing so in the first two seasons of his career. He slashed .274/.361/.451 with 20 long balls and 96 RBI in 153 games during the 2016 campaign.

Unfortunately for the Astros, this isn't the first time Correa has dealt with injury concerns. It was revealed he needed thumb surgery in July 2017 for a torn ligament.

Houston turned to Marwin Gonzalez and Alex Bregman at shortstop when Correa dealt with the thumb injury and will likely do the same with this setback. While the pair can keep the Astros afloat in the meantime, the defending champions are much more dangerous when Correa is healthy and in the lineup.