Carlos Correa had to go to emergency room for illness that landed him on injured list

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- After being placed on the injured list in relation to MLB's health and safety protocols earlier this month, Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa is revealing what landed him there and, ultimately, the emergency room.

While talking to media on Monday, Correa shared for the first time that he'd been sick with a virus, but not COVID-19.

Whatever the ailment, it landed him in the emergency room on July 9.

While in the ER, Correa said he received a couple IVs and then spent the next five days on the couch.

"I was not scared because I got the negative test for COVID, but it sucked because we were playing the (New York) Yankees at home, and I wanted to be in that series, and I wasn't able to," Correa said. "Also, with the All-Star break and all that, you don't want to miss that many days without playing. You kind of lose that baseball shape."

Correa said he's also still working his way back to full speed.

The day before he was placed on the IL, Correa announced that he'd be skipping the All-Star Game to spend time with his wife Daniella, who is pregnant with the couple's first child.

"Baseball is really important to me, but family will always come first, so we decided I'm going to stay here with her, spend this time," Correa said. "Obviously, we don't get a lot of time together with baseball season, so I'm pretty excited about that."

Correa and teammate second baseman Jose Altuve were both named reserves for the game, which took place in Denver, Colorado, on July 13.

Altuve also missed the game to deal with unspecified "issues" with his left leg.

July 9 marked the start of a three-game series with the Yankees. While the Astros dropped the first two games, the squad gave Correa plenty to be proud of. On July 11, despite being down 7-2 heading into the bottom of the ninth inning, the Astros rallied, led by Altuve, who hit a three-run homer and lifted Houston to a 8-7 win.

Altuve ended up getting his shirt ripped off and the last laugh, but that's another story for another time.

Correa celebrated Altuve's greatness with a four-word tweet.

The Astros will face the Cleveland Indians in Houston Tuesday at 7:10 p.m.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.