Carlos Correa may start a minor league rehab assignment this week, as the Astros infielder continues his comeback from what seemed like a season-ending ankle surgery back in May.  Rather than returning as a third baseman or shortstop, Correa might instead get at least some time at the brand-new position of second base.  The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal was the first to report that the Astros were considering using Correa at the keystone, while MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart reported that Correa took grounders at second base yesterday while training at the team’s Spring Training facility.

Correa has never played second during his 12 MLB seasons, but despite the difficulty of learning a new position and rehabbing an ankle at the same time, the belief is that Correa is still a better defensive option at the keystone than Jose Altuve.  Rosenthal writes that the plan would be to use Correa at second base whenever Yordan Alvarez plays left field, which then opens up the DH spot for Altuve.  Correa would go back to his old third base position when Alvarez is the designated hitter, with Altuve playing second and either Isaac Paredes or Christian Walker playing first base.

The x-factor in all of this could be a sore ankle that has kept Alvarez out of Houston’s last two games, though he could return as early as today.  Alvarez’s ankle issue should hopefully be healed by the time Correa is fully ramped up to play, and make some late contributions to the Astros’ push for the AL West crown.

More from around the division…

• The Rangers activated Nathan Eovaldi and Josh Jung from the injured list yesterday, with left-hander Adam Macko and catcher Logan O’Hoppe optioned to Triple-A in the corresponding moves.  Both played roles in Saturday’s 6-2 win over the Diamondbacks, as Jung went 2-for-5 as the starting third baseman and Eovaldi allowed one run in 2 2/3 relief innings in his new role out of the bullpen.  A calf strain had kept Jung on the shelf since July 21, while Eovaldi was pitching for the first time since August 7 due to right posterior elbow inflammation.  The 73-76 Rangers remain two games behind the Astros for the division lead and two games back of the last AL wild card spot.
• Just as the Rangers got those reinforcements back, another injury concern arose when Joc Pederson left yesterday’s game after being hit on the left hand by a Brandon Pfaadt pitch.  Pederson remained in the game to run the bases, but pinch-hitter Justin Foscue stepped in during Pederson’s next at-bat.  Pederson told Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News and other reporters that he’ll visit a hand specialist today, though initial x-rays didn’t reveal a fracture.  The veteran left-handed bat is hitting .235/.329/.487 with 26 homers over 432 plate appearances this season, almost exclusively against right-handed pitching as Texas’ primary DH (with some action at first base and in right field).
• Athletics rookie starter Gage Jump allowed five runs over two innings in an ugly 19-1 loss to the Mariners on Saturday, but Jump’s start was cut short due to both ineffectiveness and injury, as the southpaw is dealing with a left shoulder impingement.  A’s manager Mark Kotsay told MLB.com’s Theo DeRosa and other media that Jump will undergo tests to determine the nature of the injury, and there is still hope that Jump could pitch again before the year is over.  The well-regarded pitching prospect has a 5.47 ERA, 24.7% strikeout rate, and 10.5% walk rate in his first 98 2/3 innings in the majors, but also a more favorable 4.15 SIERA that acknowledges Jump’s .345 BABIP.