Correa out 6-8 weeks with torn thumb ligament

The Houston Astros will be without one of their superstars for a good chunk of the second half.

The club announced Tuesday that All-Star shortstop Carlos Correa has been placed on the 10-day disabled list with a torn ligament in his left thumb.

Correa will undergo surgery to repair the ligament and is expected to miss six-to-eight weeks.

"We do expect Carlos to return to the club in September and be ready to contribute down the stretch," Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow told reporters, according to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com.

Correa initially jammed his thumb while sliding into home plate on July 4 in Atlanta, but only missed one game as a result and went on a 7-for-17 run over his next four games. The Puerto Rican native said this injury occurred while taking a swing during Monday's matchup with the Seattle Mariners. He was lifted from the game after just the one at-bat.

"The bat just released itself," Correa said, per McTaggart. "I felt a lot of pain and felt like I couldn't go back in there. That's why I started walking to the trainer."

The 22-year-old was in the midst of a breakout season for the AL-best Astros, hitting .320/.400/.566 with 20 homers and a team-leading 67 RBIs. Earlier this month Correa was named an All-Star for the first time in his career, and started for the AL at shortstop alongside his double-play partner Jose Altuve.

Infielder Colin Moran was recalled from Triple-A Fresno to take Correa's spot on the 25-man roster.

Houston holds a 15 1/2-game lead over the second-place Mariners in the AL West entering play Tuesday.