Former Astros Shortstop Carlos Correa Returns to Houston for First Time Since Departure

Carlos Correa is returning to Minute Maid Park for the first time since leaving the Houston Astros.

Former Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa will be making his return to Minute Maid Park on Tuesday evening as his Minnesota Twins take on the Astros.

It's always an odd thing when a former face-of-the-franchise returns back to the place they made such a mark. Questions like "how will he be received?" and "will he ever return?" always surface; it's natural.

Those questions are only amplified with Correa as he is able to opt out of his three-year, $105.3 million contract this offseason. Speculation is abound that he could leave the Twins and pursue a longer term contract elsewhere, something he tried to obtain last year, but was unsuccessful. 

That only fosters rumors about his potential return to the Astros, something he no doubt will face during his trip back to Minute Maid Park. 

However, Correa has attempted to put those rumors to rest, for now.

“Right now, I see myself playing for the Twins for a long time,” Correa said.

— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) August 23, 2022

That type of response could just be following party lines as his ball club is pushing for a postseason berth. No need to rock the boat now. 

Correa is slashing .269/.352/.431 this season with 14 home runs, just slightly off of his career average. It is unlikely the Astros would entertain bringing him back at the price tag he will be asking for. Doubly so as rookie Jeremy Peña has performed admirably at the shortstop position, despite the usual ups and downs of development at the Major League level.

Even with all the fanfare of Correa's return for the three game series this week, the speculation, or even hope, that he could return to the Astros during the upcoming offseason is just wishful thinking.

More From SI's Inside The Astros:

1. Report: Former Astros Pitcher Fiers' Contract Terminated By CPBL Club
2. Grading the Houston Astros MLB Trade Deadline Transactions
3. Jeremy Peña isn't Competing for Rookie of the Year, And That's a Good Thing
4. Houston Astros Poised to Make Another World Series Run
5. Mancini Mania: Behind the Houston Astros' Latest Streak of History
6. Artist Brendan Murphy on His Signature Addition to Minute Maid Park
7. Trey Mancini Gives Houston Astros a Much Deeper Lineup
8. Astros Pass New York Yankees as Best Team in the American League
9. Astros' Álvarez Stopped Striking Out and Became the Best Hitter in Baseball
10. 'Tracking Like Wheels Up': A Long Journey Back For Astros Prospect McKee

---

Make sure to follow Inside the Astros on Twitter @InsideAstrosSI!