How serious could the injury be that prevents Carlos Correa from signing with the Mets?

Carlos Correa was 19 years old when a broken fibula in his right leg forced him to undergo surgery before his dream debut in the Major Leagues.

His operation in Houston in 2014 was a success and his subsequent Major League debut was a success, to the point that he was named American League Rookie of the Year in 2015 and World Series champion with the Astros in 2017.

Most importantly, in his eight professional seasons thus far, he has never returned to the disabled list for any discomfort associated with a ruptured fibula, the bone located laterally in each leg.

But eight years later, the shadow of that old injury haunts Correa, forcing him first to break his historic $350 million, 13-year deal with the San Francisco Giants and then to pause his $315 million, 12-year deal with the Mets. of New York, according to various US media.

Will that injury be serious enough to not sign one of the best players at his position in the majors?

Dr. Michael Hernández – who is a specialist in physical medicine and rehabilitation with more than 24 years of experience – understands that the already recovered injury should not be a cause for concern for the teams, nor should it be a factor that reduces Correa’s performance.

“It is not a major injury,” Hernández told THE SPOKESMAN. “The fibula is a bone with a more stable role. He had a fracture and there was some (damage to) a ligament. It is an original care injury, at the moment, but it is not an injury that causes greater inconvenience to practice sports or continue with his athletic life as up to now, ”he assured.

The Saint Elizabethan was injured sliding at third base during an Class A game with Houston in 2014. It’s not as serious an injury as Tommy John surgery to rebuild the ulnar collateral ligament. It also did not require intervention for an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear.

“That is repaired, he is put to rest, and he can continue leading his normal life after the rehabilitation period,” said Hernández.

Correa is 28 years old and although he is known for his extensive injury history, none of his nine trips to the disabled list since he arrived in the majors has been associated with a fibula.

“The question is if there is something else behind all this or if they are holding on to this injury. The kid has been looking super good since he was 19 years old with everything and injury, why raise a red flag now?” Hernández questioned. “In my opinion it is not a major injury that eight years later could limit his performance,” he explained.

Hernández said that with Correa playing third base, any concern about the importance of the fibula also collapses because it requires less rotation than being shortstop. In any case, any alert should be due to the string of back pains that have plagued him since his days with Houston in 2019.

“Another question would be if the sum of all these things is what raises the flag. It remains speculative information. Because of the leg I definitely do not understand where the red flag is, ”she underlined.