“There are guys here I think are definitely ready.” Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa was raving about his team’s Triple-A Round Rock Express affiliate, where he had just finished a 10-day rehab assignment just north of Austin.

“Obviously, we have a great team in the big leagues, so there is not a lot of room,” Correa understated, continuing his conversation with Austin American-Statesman correspondent Kevin Lyttle. “But there are a lot of guys here who are ready to compete at the big league level.”

That’ll be good news to hear in the Astros’ front office, but bigger things lie ahead for Correa’s “team in the big leagues,” especially now that he’s rejoined them with a newly-healed rib, cracked unceremoniously in a late May massage mishap.

A Man With a Plan

Correa ended his six games with the Express by going one-for-two with two walks and a run scored July 24 in Round Rock’s 3-0 win over the Kansas City Royals’ AAA Omaha Storm Chasers affiliate.

Correa compiled a seven-for-21 for a .333 average with three doubles, two runs, and two RBIs, numbers sure to put a smile on the faces of Astros skipper AJ Hinch and GM Jeff Luhnow.

Curiously, the one thing Correa did not do in his Express tenure was hit a home run. Six of his seven hits were to the opposite field, and that was part of the plan.

“I accomplished all I wanted here,” Correa said flatly. “I got my at-bats. I got my ground balls. Played nine innings back-to-back days, so, yeah, I feel ready to rejoin the team. I’m physically 100 percent. Ready to roll.”

While it’s possible the Express, currently in second place in the Pacific Coast League Southern Division by a handful of games, might make it to the PCL playoffs, Correa has his sites set on another ring in Houston.

“We don’t want to settle for anything less than another championship,” Correa confidently said of his Astros, who won the World Series in 2017. “Second place is not an option for us. Third place, fourth place, that’s not what we want. If we don’t win the championship, then we go home not satisfied at all.”

DFA: New Dirty Word Enters Astros Fans’ Lexicon

Fifty MLB games ago, when Correa last wore a Houston Astros uniform, Tyler White and Tony Kemp were his teammates. Both, now, are gone. White was designated for assignment (DFA) July 19 and subsequently traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers six days later for Andre Scrubb, a relief pitching prospect.

In fact, to make room on the roster for Correa’s return, popular outfielder/second baseman Tony Kemp was DFA’ed and will likely be traded to a new home within the week to obtain more pitching help.

Raves for the E-Train

“I feel Round Rock is one of the best minor league setups there is,” Correa crowed during his stay, effusive in his praise. “They have everything here. Nice ballpark, great playing surface, great fans. I’ve been loving every single minute I spent here.”

Curiously, Correa has never seen new Astro slugger Yordan Alvarez play in person. Alvarez was promoted to Houston from Round Rock about 10 days after Correa landed on the IL.

“Alvarez, coming from here in Round Rock, is making a huge impact on the lineup,” he said after seeing game highlights and video like the rest of us.

In mid-July, Alvarez shattered an MLB record previously held by long-time “Astro Killer” Albert Pujols by racking up 35 RBIs in his first 30 games. Prior to his promotion, Alvarez led all minor league baseball with 23 home runs and 71 RBIs in 56 games.

Correa passed around more plaudits to Houston prospects, particularly praising starter Kent Emanuel (5-1), who recently threw a three-hit shutout over seven innings, and utility wizard Josh Rojas, who just crushed his 20th homer to go with 67 RBIs and a .321 average (combined 2019 totals including 44 games to start the season at AA Corpus Christi).

Attempting to Pick Up Where He Left Off

Correa began 2019 rocketing out of the gate with a .295 average, 11 homers, and 36 RBIs in 50 games before suffering what he calls the “frustrating” home massage incident. To say he’s chomping at the bit to get back into his Houston uni would be an understatement.

“I’ve been paying attention to every single game, every single inning,” Correa said, referring to how he kept up with his first place teammates while he was staying with family in north Austin. “When I got here, I looked at the box scores right after our games.”

Welcome Back, Carlos!

“The guys are doing great. They’re rolling right now. I finally get to rejoin them and contribute.”

Hopefully, Correa’s return will also mark a new plan for his home massage routine that doesn’t involve earth-moving machinery.