(Photo credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images)

One week into Carlos Correa's return to the Houston Astros, his teammates are appreciative of the at-bats he is producing.

Correa is off to a strong start since being acquired from the Minnesota Twins, and he can give the Astros a second straight series victory on Saturday afternoon when they visit the slumping New York Yankees.

Correa is hitting .379 (11-for-29) in seven games since returning at the trade deadline to play third base for the team he played for from 2015-21.

In the series opener on Friday, Correa hit a tiebreaking single in the 10th inning off Devin Williams, and the Astros emerged with a 5-3 victory.

'Carlos is an unbelievable player and talented person, a leader,' Houston starting pitcher Hunter Brown said. 'I speak for everybody: We were excited to have him. He brings a different mentality every day to the clubhouse, and it's showing up on the field. That's what you expect out of a player like that, and he's doing it.'

Correa has two hits on Friday, his fourth multi-hit game since the trade.

'It seems like he's working hard, really excited to be here and obviously he's been hitting great,' said Houston's Jose Altuve, who had a two-run homer and a double on Friday and is batting .333 (31-for-93) in his past 24 games.

The Yankees have just one win in seven games this month, due in large part to a .197 average that ranks next to last in the major leagues.

Ben Rice had two of the Yankees' five hits in the series opener and Aaron Judge added a tying RBI single, but others are in slumps.

Cody Bellinger has two hits in his past 23 at-bats (.087). Jazz Chisholm Jr. is in a 6-for-46 (.130) skid, Trent Grisham is in a 5-for-36 (.139) slide.

Giancarlo Stanton has not started the past three games because the Yankees need to keep the designated hitter slot open for Judge, who returned from an elbow injury Tuesday.

Stanton has been working in right field this week during batting practice and could make his first start in the field since Sept. 14, 2023.

'He's always been a quality outfielder,' Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. 'Some range is going to be limited obviously, but I do feel like he'll make the plays that need to be made.

Stanton is 5-for-11 with a homer lifetime off left-hander Framber Valdez (11-5, 2.83 ERA), the Astros' scheduled Saturday starter.

Since starting this season 1-4 with a 4.39 ERA through his first seven starts, Valdez is 10-1 with a 2.18 ERA in his past 15 outings.

On Sunday, Valdez took his first loss since May 2 when he allowed six runs (five earned) on seven hits in six innings during a 6-1 defeat against the host Boston Red Sox.

Valdez is 0-1 with a 6.50 ERA in four regular-season starts against the Yankees. He also beat New York in Game 2 of the 2022 American League Championship Series, when he threw seven innings and allowed two runs, both unearned, while striking out nine.

Right-hander Luis Gil (0-1, 13.50 ERA) is due to get the ball for the Yankees, hoping to display better command in his second start after missing four months with a lat strain. Gil allowed five runs on five hits in 3 1/3 innings during a 7-3 loss to the host Miami Marlins on Sunday.

Gil's only previous start against Houston came on May 7, 2024, in New York, when he allowed one run and one hit over six innings in a 10-3 win.

--Field Level Media