When the Houston Astros walked off the field after Game 162 last October, they left with the same record as a playoff team—but not the same fate. For the first time since 2016, October baseball would unfold without them. The culprit? An injury bug that didn't just bite; it feasted.

Star slugger Yordan Alvarez played just 48 games. Infielder Isaac Paredes lost two months to a hamstring strain. Closer Josh Hader saw his season end in August. Rotation anchors Ronel Blanco and Spencer Arrighetti combined for only 18 starts after making 57 the year before. Even Cristian Javier, a postseason hero in years past, managed just eight starts down the stretch.

The math was cruel: 87 wins matched the Tigers, but tiebreakers don't care about what-ifs. One more healthy bat, one more reliable arm, and that streak of seven straight postseasons might still be alive. Instead, Houston faced its longest winter in nearly a decade.

So when spring training rolled around in 2026, there was a quiet hope that the injury gods had finally moved on. The core was still there. The talent was undeniable. Surely, lightning couldn't strike twice.

But here we are, barely into May, and the Astros are staring at déjà vu. The latest blow landed on shortstop Carlos Correa, who suffered a left ankle injury during batting practice that will require season-ending surgery. For a player whose health has been a recurring storyline—remember the collapsed deals with the Mets and Giants over ankle concerns?—this hit especially hard.

To his credit, Correa had been a model of reliability since returning to Houston in a shocking deadline trade with Minnesota last summer. He started 51 games and provided the kind of steady glove and veteran presence that championship teams are built around. Now, the Astros must once again ask themselves: how many key pieces can they afford to lose before the season slips away for good?