Houston Astros star Jose Altuve is heading to the injured list following a Grade 2 left oblique strain he sustained during Saturday’s contest, team manager Joe Espada announced to media on Sunday.
The veteran second baseman received an MRI examination Sunday morning after being pulled from the game before the final inning. Altuve showed visible discomfort during his plate appearance in the eighth inning when he made contact on a ground ball to third base, choosing not to run to first and instead returning to the dugout while clearly in pain.
Espada declined to provide a specific recovery timeframe for Altuve’s return to action.
“Obviously just not what we wanted to hear,” Espada said. “But we find ourselves having to fight through this one here. So these young players are going to continue to get opportunities.”
Houston’s roster challenges continue to mount with third baseman Carlos Correa already out for the remainder of the season following ankle surgery, while Jeremy Pena has been unavailable since April 11 due to a hamstring injury, though he may return as early as Monday when the team travels to Minnesota.
The 36-year-old Altuve is batting .245 this season with four home runs and 12 RBIs across 42 games. The nine-time All-Star has spent his entire 16-season major league career in Houston, compiling a .302 lifetime batting average along with 259 home runs and 901 RBIs.
