Correa makes return to lineup in Chicago

CHICAGO -- The Astros activated a pair of faces -- one familiar, the other somewhat new -- from the injured list prior to beginning the second half at Guaranteed Rate Field on Friday.

Shortstop Carlos Correa and right-hander Austin Pruitt were made available for the series opener against the White Sox. Infielder Taylor Jones was optioned to Triple-A Sugar Land in a corresponding move.

For Correa, Friday marks his return to the starting lineup after being placed on the COVID-19 injured list on July 9.

Correa was put on the IL due to health and safety protocols -- without specifying his illness -- forcing him to miss the final series of the first half against the Yankees. Houston narrowly avoided being swept by New York by putting together a six-run bottom of the ninth to win the series finale Sunday, but Correa’s absence helped remind the Astros of just how important he is to the club.

“Sometimes you don't realize what you have until he's gone,” manager Dusty Baker said. “We're happy to have him back. He's in the middle of the lineup. You miss him at shortstop. I mean, this guy's a heck of a player and sometimes you just take it for granted until they're gone.”

On the other hand, Pruitt being active means his first appearance out of the bullpen will be his Astros debut. He was acquired from the Rays in January 2020, but a hairline fracture in his right elbow prior to the delayed start of the '20 season -- and subsequent surgery to repair the elbow -- ultimately kept him from appearing on the mound for Houston at any point over the past 18 months.

“It's been a crazy long road, man,” Pruitt said Friday. “I feel kind of bad, just because the entire time I've been an Astro, I've been on the shelf. So it's super relieving.”

Since the Astros sent him on a rehab assignment on June 15, Pruitt went 1-2 with a 5.59 ERA in seven games with Low-A Fayetteville and Triple-A Sugar Land. Baker said Houston will likely start Pruitt out in low-leverage situations “to get his feet wet.”

Pruitt said he’d be able to throw multiple innings if called upon -- he pitched three innings of scoreless relief for the Skeeters on July 9. The velocity on his fastball is sitting in the 90-92 mph range, and he said his secondary pitches “felt better than the heater, at least maybe two outings ago.”

If he makes his Astros debut in Chicago, he said, it wouldn't quite feel the same as if it came at Minute Maid Park, which is only a few hours drive from his hometown in Plano. But just being able to get back on the mound after a long road to recovery will feel special for Pruitt, no matter where it happens first.

“Those were some of the hardest 18 months I've ever had to go through during my baseball career,” he said. “It was tough, man. But I mean, with the help of my family, teammates, training staff, things like that kind of helped me continue to move forward. Everything that you're feeling is part of the process and you know that there is a finish line.”

Astros sign six draftees

Houston announced Friday the signings of six of their Day 2 MLB Draft picks, starting with supplemental fourth-round selection Chayce McDermott, a right-hander out of Ball State.

The other five signings are:

• Round 5 pick Quincy Hamilton, an outfielder from Wright State
• Round 6 pick Spencer Arrighetti, a right-hander from Louisiana-Lafayette
• Round 8 pick Colton Gordon, a lefty from Central Florida
• Round 9 pick Aaron Brown, a righty out of Middle Tennessee State
• Round 10 pick Michael Sandle, an outfielder out of South Alabama

He said it

“He was happy. We were happy. He went to a place where they knew him from the time he was young, and he knows a lot of people over there that I'm sure they'll look out for him and treat him fairly.” -- Baker, on his son, Darren, being drafted by the Nationals