Carlos Correa in comfort zone in return to Astros

A beaming Carlos Correa walked around the clubhouse prior to Friday's road game against the Boston Red Sox.

His comfort level was high and he chatted with longtime friend Jose Altuve while putting on a Houston Astros uniform for the first time since 2021.

Then it hit him -- it's like he never left the Astros.

"Feels great," Correa told reporters. "Brings back great memories at the beginning of my career. Looking forward to making a lot more."

Correa was reacquired by Houston at Thursday's trade deadline, with the Astros giving up left-handed pitching prospect Matt Mikulski.

A pretty light price for a player who was a World Series winner, a team leader and a solid shortstop for the Astros between 2015-21. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 draft, Correa belted 18 homers in 79 postseason games with Houston.

"He's a great leader, man," Altuve said of his former double-play partner. "He's a guy that definitely makes your clubhouse better. We all know how passionate he is about baseball, how smart he is and how he can affect other players and make them better."

Correa was in his fourth season with the Twins.

He ended up in Minnesota after becoming a free agent following the 2021 season. The market was slow and eventually the Twins gave him a three-year, $105 million deal.

He opted out of the contract after the 2022 season and had two big-money deals fall through due to medical reasons related to a serious leg injury he sustained earlier in his career.

First, Correa agreed to a 13-year, $350 million deal with the San Francisco Giants. When the Giants backed out due to concerns over his physical exam, Correa soon agreed to a 12-year, $315 million deal with the Mets. New York later backed out and Correa went back to the Twins for $200 million over six years.

Correa was an All-Star for the third time in his career in 2024 for Minnesota, but he never had the same aura in the Twin Cities as he did in Houston.

"I never thought this would happen, or there was a chance for this to happen," Correa said. "And when it started developing, we were in constant conversations with the front office over in Minnesota. And then when it finally happened, I called my wife, that's when it started kicking in. And it was surreal."

The Astros have a stellar shortstop in All-Star Jeremy Pena, so Correa has agreed to play third base. He was at the position against Boston on Friday and batting in the cleanup spot.

Astros second-year manager Joe Espada is highly familiar with Correa as he served as bench coach for the team from 2018-23 -- which includes Correa's final four seasons of his first Houston stint.

"A bat that can hit right there in the middle of our lineup," Espada said. "It brings excitement to our clubhouse. He's already in conversation with our hitters. The dynamic is completely different right now."

--Field Level Media