Astros' Carlos Correa hit by pitch on hand, X-rays negative

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OAKLAND - The Astros avoided potential disaster Saturday when X-rays on star shortstop Carlos Correa's right hand came back negative.

Correa was diagnosed with a right hand contusion. He sustained the injury when he was hit by a 94 mph fastball from Oakland Athletics righthander Frankie Montas in the ninth inning of the Astros' 10-6 win at the Coliseum.

"Good news, obviously," Correa said. "I thought it was going to be a lot worse."

It's uncertain when Correa will next play but he said "hopefully it doesn't have to be more than one day."

"We will see how it heals," he said. "Obviously, I will be doing my best to be able to go back out there as soon as I can."

In serious pain as soon as he was hit, Correa clutched his hand and took a knee in the grassy area behind home plate, where he was tended to by Astros trainer Scott Barringer and manager A.J. Hinch. After helping Correa off the field, Hinch was soon forced to scramble to find a pinch-runner and then decide who would play where defensively in the bottom of the ninth.

Hinch had emptied his bench earlier in the game by pinch-hitting Brian McCann for Evan Gattis and Marwin Gonzalez for Yuli Gurriel in the sixth and pinch-running Josh Reddick for Carlos Beltran in the eighth. After Correa was hit, starting pitcher Mike Fiers ran up to the visitors' clubhouse to grab his cleats and Hinch used him as his runner.

"I mean, I'm the best runner and fastest runner, so might as well put me in, right?," Fiers said, smiling. "(Dallas) Keuchel ran up and got his cleats. He was the first one with his cleats on. But in the back (of Hinch's) mind, he wanted me. And I was ready to do it. I was up for the challenge."

Hinch asked for volunteers to play first base in the bottom of the ninth. Reddick stepped up. The 30-year-old outfielder said he last manned first base when he was 19 years old and playing in a summer collegiate league. He used the first baseman's mitt of Marwin Gonzalez, who moved to third base while Alex Bregman moved from third to shortstop. The Astros were forced to sacrifice the designated hitter spot.

Houston Astros Carlos Correa swings against the Oakland Athletics in the sixth inning of a baseball game Saturday, April 15, 2017, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot) Houston Astros Carlos Correa swings against the Oakland Athletics in the sixth inning of a baseball game Saturday, April 15, 2017, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot) Photo: Ben Margot, Associated Press Photo: Ben Margot, Associated Press Image 1 of / 38 Caption Close Astros' Carlos Correa hit by pitch on hand, X-rays negative 1 / 38 Back to Gallery

"When a guy like that goes down and you're the only option left, you've got to go out there and volunteer," Reddick said. "So I was very happy to get out there and do what needed to be done."