Good news for the Houston Astros as they close in on another AL West title: star shortstop Carlos Correa is expected to be activated off the injured list sometime this week. Correa appeared in one minor league rehab game with Triple-A Round Rock on Friday and then participated in a lengthy live batting practice session on Sunday. He might be activated as soon as Tuesday. Correa has been on the IL since August 20 due to a lower back injury. Here’s a look at two intriguing early-week MLB matchups. Check back for MLB odds.

Top MLB Betting Picks of the Week – September 16th Edition

Los Angeles Angels at New York Yankees

• When: Tuesday, 6:35 PM ET
• TV: MLB Extra Innings
• Live Stream: MLB.tv

The Halos have shut down superstar outfielder Mike Trout for the season. He’ll undergo surgery to remove a Morton’s neuroma in his right foot sometime over the next week. Per manager Brad Ausmus, Trout ‘tested his foot by running’ on Sunday and found he was still experiencing too much pain to play, prompting his decision to undergo season-ending surgery. Trout missed his eighth straight game Sunday but had been testing the foot the past few days to see whether he could get back on the field.

Even though Trout will miss a handful of games, he seems a lock to win another AL MVP Award. The eight-time All-Star will finish his 2019 season batting .291/.438/.645 with an AL-best 45 home runs, .1083 OPS, and league-leading 8.6 fWAR. The Angels also already shutdown last season’s Rookie of the year, Shohei Ohtani, for the season.

Tuesday is big for the Yankees as they see the season debut of projected ace Luis Severino. He’s been all season out due to a rotator cuff injury, as well as a grade two lat strain. The former All-Star last pitched on Wednesday for Double-A Trenton. He allowed one earned run in 3.2 IP on 64 pitches. It’s not likely that Severino will go much past 70-75 pitches. Severino was in the AL Cy Young conversation each of the past two seasons. He has never recorded a win against Los Angeles, going 0-1, with a 4.26 ERA in three career starts.

Meanwhile, the Yankees have nine games this season with at least five homers, tied for the second-highest total in Major League history (2019 Twins-11G, 2019 Athletics-9G). Yankees batters now have 28 multi-HR games this season. That’s the second-highest total in Major League history, trailing the 2019 Twins (30).

The Yanks are 3-1 vs. the Angels this year. New York is 9-3 in their last 12G vs. the Angels, 17-7 in their last 24 meetings and 22-9 in the last 31 games since 5/6/14.

LA starts Jose Suarez (2-6, 6.94). Suarez has struggled throughout his rookie season and yielded six runs over three innings against the Indians on Sept. 10. He’s allowed at least two runs in each of his 16 outings this year.

Cincinnati Reds at Chicago Cubs

• When: Wednesday, 8:05 PM ET
• TV: MLB Extra Innings
• Live Stream: MLB.tv

The Cubs and Reds meet for their sixth and final series of the season. The teams most recently split a four-game set in Cincinnati, August 8-11. The clubs previously met at Wrigley Field, July 15-17, with the Cubs taking two of three.

Already without star shortstop Javier Baez for likely the rest of the regular season due to injury, the Cubs are now waiting word on an injury suffered by All-Star first baseman Anthony Rizzo. He was pulled from Sunday’s game versus the Pirates after injuring his right ankle. Rizzo was charging in to field a bunt and rolled the ankle before going down in a heap and screaming in pain. He was to have an MRI on Monday. X-rays did not reveal a fracture so that’s a good thing.

Rizzo is batting .289 with 26 home runs and a team-high 93 RBIs. Also, the Cubs put shortstop Addison Russell on the seven-day concussion list. He had been hit in the head by a pitch last week and was in the concussion protocol. Rizzo is one of six Cubs with at least 20 homers, tying a club record. Nicholas Castellanos, who has hit 15 of his 26 homers with the Cubs this season, is next closest to joining this group.

The Cubs have 50 wins at Wrigley Field for just the 15th time since moving into these digs in 1916. The team previously turned the trick last season (51-31) and in 2016 (57-24), with the previous occurrence in 2008 (55-26).

It’s lefty Jon Lester for Chicago. Lester (13-10, 4.59) picked up a win on Friday despite allowing seven runs (four earned) on 11 hits in five innings vs. Pirates. The lefty has given up 15 runs (12 earned) in 10 1/3 innings in his past two starts. He is 8-4 with a 4.37 ERA in 15 home starts this year.

Cincinnati goes with struggling Tyler Mahle (2-11, 5.11). Mahle is working to position himself for the 2020 rotation but is 0-1 with a 6.43 ERA in three starts for the Reds since returning from Triple-A Louisville. Manager David Bell has remained high on Mahle and believes he has shown growth in 2019.

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