HOUSTON — When this season’s most meaningful homestand began, the Houston Astros sat a half-game out of first place in the American League West and were in desperate need of a trade deadline boost.When it ended Wednesday, Houston had overtaken the Texas Rangers for first place in the division, secured a tiebreaker that effectively doubled its 1 1/2-game lead and positioned itself firmly in the postseason.Acquiring Daulton Varsho from the Toronto Blue Jays raised the floor of the Astros’ outfield, but the help Houston sought for the starting rotation never arrived. Still, a 4-2 homestand continued the club’s best stretch of baseball this season. Here are four takeaways.Who won and lost the MLB trade deadline?Andy McCullough and Johnny Sweet1. Carlos Correa’s return is not out of the questionCarlos Correa’s comeback attempt cleared another roadblock Tuesday afternoon, when doctors cleared him to resume swinging a bat. Hitting a baseball remains distant, but taking dry swings is meaningful for Correa, who tore the peroneus brevis tendon in his left ankle during a freak batting practice accident in early May.Repair surgery requires at least six months of recovery, Correa said at the time. Now, not even three months after his May 11 operation, Correa is “increasing his baseball activities,” according to manager Joe Espada. Correa is sprinting, fielding ground balls and started his swing progression on Tuesday.There is cautious optimism around the organization, with the caveat that much has to happen in a shrinking calendar.It is why Espada said Wednesday he is trying not to consider how he would configure his lineup if Correa returns. Too many variables exist. Would Correa be capable of playing defense? Would his workload be limited in any capacity? What do the standings look like?“If we ever get to that point,” Espada said, “we’ll sit down and talk about it.”There is one nonnegotiable: Isaac Paredes must remain in Houston’s everyday lineup. He is playing third base in Correa’s stead and, though he’s mired in an 0-for-15 slump, is one of four qualified Astros hitters with an OPS+ above league average.Why the AL Wild Card is up for grabsKen Rosenthal and Johnny SweetProvided he can play with no restrictions, Correa is a clear defensive upgrade over Paredes. They could split time at the position — especially if Correa can’t play defense every day upon his return — but that would force one of them to serve as Houston’s designated hitter.Doing so would require Yordan Alvarez to play more left field, which Houston has tried to avoid all season. Alvarez has started just 18 of his first 114 games in the outfield, but if Correa is back in the fold, the Astros may have no other choice than to increase that number.One scenario that would keep Alvarez at designated hitter: Correa reprising his role as the everyday third baseman, Paredes shifting to second and Jose Altuve moving back to left field. Altuve played 44 games there last season, and some in the organization think he would be amenable to moving back to accommodate Correa’s return.Bear in mind, neither Alvarez nor Altuve is an ideal defensive option in left field. Espada would likely remove either of them in favor of a better outfielder late in meaningful games with Houston ahead. Pulling Alvarez from any game — especially one with postseason implications — would not seem wise.2. Two promising pitchersAmid Monday’s manic trade deadline, the Astros promoted touted pitching prospect Bryce Mayer to Triple-A Sugar Land. The timing is a coincidence — Mondays are a universal off day in the minor leagues and roster moves are common — but it may hold some significance later this season.Not acquiring a starting pitcher on Monday doubled as a vote of confidence for Mayer and Ethan Pecko, his new Triple-A teammate, to reinforce the rotation at some point this season. The two right-handers are Houston’s most major-league-ready pitching prospects in the upper minor leagues.Mayer and Pecko were two of Houston’s top eight prospects according to The Athletic’s Keith Law in his preseason prospect rankings, and they have performed to that pedigree this season.They could become factors for this depth-starved starting rotation across the season’s final 46 games.“Both guys could be big down the stretch,” said one rival scout, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss Houston’s prospects candidly.The Athletic surveyed four scouts who’ve evaluated one or both pitchers. According to one, neither Mayer nor Pecko “are high-upside (pitchers), but solid and by far the best two (pitching prospects) they have.” Another labeled both pitchers as possible fourth or fifth starters in a major-league rotation — something Houston’s current major-league staff would welcome.Mayer, who struck out 100 and sported a 2.61 ERA across 69 Double-A innings, has a five-pitch mix that now includes a changeup to help him against left-handed hitters. Good extension helps his four-seam fastball play from a low arm slot and, according to one scout, Mayer seems to have increased the tempo of his delivery. He’s “taken off” since, the scout said.“(It’s) a solid mix, but no plus pitches,” said another scout. “But he knows how to pitch and compete. The command is just OK right now, but that’s an area where he can improve.”Pecko, meanwhile, has a “deep mix (with) nothing anywhere near plus,” according to one scout. Another liked Pecko’s “presence, willingness to compete and potential for making necessary adjustments.”Like Mayer, Pecko gets good extension that allows his fastball to play up.Pecko, who missed the beginning of the season while recovering from thoracic outlet syndrome, has a 3.96 ERA across his past 50 Triple-A innings. He is probably closer to the major leagues than Mayer, even if one scout said, “In an ideal world, he’s more of an option for 2027. But, no doubt, they don’t have other options.”3. Josh Hader may pitch multiple innings — just not nowJosh Hader needed just 10 pitches to finish the top of the ninth inning Wednesday afternoon. When Houston did not score in the home half, Hader did not emerge for the 10th.Fellow southpaw Bennett Sousa did, and he surrendered a go-ahead, two-run home run to Ernie Clement.The outcome stung, but what led to it sheds light on Hader’s status. Hader had not pitched in the previous three days, and the Astros have a scheduled off day on Thursday. Few scenarios seemed more ideal for Hader’s first multi-inning appearance since being activated from the injured list on June 2.“I don’t think we’re there yet,” Espada said after Wednesday’s game. “I think eventually it will come, maybe, at some point. But we feel so good about our (bullpen) and the options we have that I think we still need to let that develop a little bit more.”Hader, who took a hardline stance against throwing multiple innings before reaching free agency, did so during 14 of his first 119 regular-season outings as an Astro. Injuring his shoulder last August and left biceps this spring — the first two significant injuries of his professional career — has put that on pause.On the day he returned to the active roster, though, Hader said he planned to throw multiple innings again “once we get toward the end of the year.”Espada’s comments on Wednesday seem to affirm that, but it is unclear when all parties will be comfortable doing so.It is still early August and the Astros must do everything in their power to keep Hader healthy, so it is difficult to dispute Wednesday’s decision-making. As more important games arrive and the season’s end approaches, Hader’s ability to become a multi-inning weapon can change the complexion of a club carried by top-end talent.Hader lowered his ERA to 1.13 with his scoreless outing Wednesday. He has struck out 35 batters in his first 26 appearances, just three of which have featured an earned run. Before Wednesday, Houston won 22 of the first 25 games that Hader pitched.In his absence, they could not win a 23rd.4. Shuffling the coachesDan Hennigan’s departure for Wake Forest this week will rearrange some responsibilities within Houston’s offensive coaching infrastructure. Hennigan left his role as the offensive coordinator and director of hitting for the Astros after Sunday’s win against the Rangers to begin his new job as the Demon Deacons’ hitting coach.The 36-year-old biomechanics master paired well with hitting coaches Victor Rodriguez and Anthony Iapoce, veteran coaches who had lengthy professional playing careers.The coaching hierarchy is not changing. Rodriguez remains the head hitting coach and Iapoce is his assistant. Roving hitting coach and special adviser Chuckie Caufield will replace Hennigan on the Astros’ coaching staff, but his duties will be divided among the remaining group.Hennigan led the team’s pregame advance meetings, which Iapoce will now oversee. Caufield will be in the batting cages during games to analyze the opponent’s bullpen and prepare bench players for potential pinch-hit appearances.Perhaps most importantly, Hennigan formulated the strategy reports that have drawn acclaim from members of Houston’s lineup. Writing those reports will now fall to Ricardo Lizarraga, an advance-scouting coordinator who is part of Houston’s traveling party.Lizarraga assisted Hennigan throughout the season in producing the reports and, in preparation for his departure, started compiling them on his own during this homestand. Players are given freedom to pick and choose which parts of the reports they prioritize, but all of it is presented in advance meetings.Lizarraga joined the Astros in 2022 as an international scouting apprentice and spent two seasons as an international scouting coordinator before joining Houston’s major-league advance-scouting group.