NEW YORK — Carlos Correa’s attempt at a comeback is progressing so seamlessly that Houston Astros manager Joe Espada said on Wednesday he expects Correa “to be ready to go at some point in September.”Correa tore the peroneus brevis tendon in his left ankle during a batting practice accident before a May 5 game. Correa underwent what he described as season-ending surgery in May, but resumed some baseball activities earlier this month in hopes of staging a return to propel Houston in its pursuit of a playoff spot.“I wouldn’t be doing all this work if I didn’t think there was a chance,” Correa said earlier this month.On Wednesday, Espada said Correa has another doctor’s appointment sometime next week, at which he could be cleared to start “cranking up some stuff where we can see him really getting after it in the field.” Correa is currently fielding ground balls, sprinting at almost full effort and taking some batting practice.“So far, all the reports (and) all the work he’s doing, he continues to improve,” Espada said.At the time of his operation, Correa said it had a six-to-eight month recovery timeline. Returning at any point in September would put Correa almost two months ahead of schedule.Correa will need to play in multiple minor-league rehab games before coming back to a big-league roster that could use his contributions. At the time of his injury, Correa carried a .787 OPS and was the closest thing Houston had to a consistent cleanup hitter.Including Correa, the Astros have started nine different cleanup hitters this season and are extracting a .701 OPS from that spot in the batting order. Only six major-league offenses are receiving less production from a position that is counted on to drive in runs.Slotting Correa back into the cleanup spot seems logical. Little else about his potential return is as straightforward—presuming Correa can play defense. Isaac Paredes, playing third base in Correa’s stead, has the third-highest OPS on the team.Keeping Paredes in the lineup upon Correa’s possible return is non-negotiable. Houston could play Correa at third base and move Paredes to second, where he would displace franchise cornerstone Jose Altuve.Altuve entered Wednesday worth minus-14 defensive runs saved as a second baseman, according to Sports Info Solutions. No other qualified second baseman is worse. Because of his deteriorating defense, Altuve is already replaced by utilityman Nick Allen late in games the Astros are leading.Playing Paredes at second base would almost force the Astros to create a timeshare between Altuve and American League MVP front-runner Yordan Alvarez at designated hitter. To keep both bats in the lineup, each player would have to contribute time in left field.Alvarez has started 20 games there this season and, last year, Altuve played 47 games in left field while the Astros experimented with moving him off of second base. Correa’s possible return could force some similar shuffling — even if Espada isn’t allowing himself to envision it yet.“Not there yet, buddy,” Espada said when asked about his potential lineup configuration. “One day at a time.”