Astros' Correa promoted to Triple-A Fresno

Last year, Carlos Correa likely would have received a midseason promotion, but he never got it after sustaining a fractured right fibula. That won't be a problem this year.

The No. 3 prospect in baseball was promoted to Triple-A Fresno on Monday. The Astros made the announcement on Twitter.

#Astros officially promote SS Carlos Correa to the Triple A @FresnoGrizzlies. He will join the club tomorrow in Albuquerque.

- #VoteAstros (@astros) May 11, 2015

Correa returned from the leg injury -- sustained while sliding into a base with Class A Advanced Lancaster last June -- and dominated with Double-A Corpus Christi to start this season. The 20-year-old leaves the Texas League as the leader in batting average (.385), RBIs (32), stolen bases (15), slugging percentage (.726), total bases (85), doubles (15) and hits (45). He's also tied for the league lead with seven home runs.

The 2012 first-rounder (first overall) was named the Texas League's Offensive Player of the Week on Monday after batting .429 with two homers, 10 RBIs and five stolen bases in his final week with the Hooks.

"It's clear with what he's done in the Texas League that he was ready for another challenge," Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow told the Houston Chronicle.

Luhnow also acknowledged the team has been enticed to promote the shortstop in the wake of Jed Lowrie's thumb injury, which is expected to shelve the shortstop for 8-12 weeks. The team has been playing Marwin Gonzalez and Jonathan Villar at shortstop in Lowrie's absence. A Major League promotion for Correa will wait, though, possibly until the Super Two deadline passes later in May.

"I have to say it's [tempting]," Luhnow told the Houston Chronicle. "It's something we will continue to think about.

"Right now, his next challenge is to face Triple-A pitching."

Correa is expected to join Fresno on Tuesday, when the Grizzlies begin a four-game set at Albuquerque at 5:35 p.m. ET. Fresno is on the road until May 21, when it starts a four-game series with Nashville.