GOP House Whip Steve Scalise's competitive juices are rivaling those of Astros superstar Jose Altuve ... vowing to return as the Congressional second baseman after surviving a bullet.
We got the congressman at Reagan National Airport in D.C. and asked how his recovery's coming along. You'll recall Scalise and the Congressional Baseball Team came under attack in June after James T. Hodgkinson fired as many as 50 rounds with an automatic rifle.
Check it out ... Scalise -- who fought for his life after being struck in the hip -- has a new goal. We'll just say this: whoever took his spot in the lineup ... watch your back.