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It doesn't look like Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve will miss significant time after being hit on the left hand by a 94.3 mph sinker from Minnesota Twins pitcher Josh Winder in the eighth inning of the Astros' 13-12 win over the Twins.
After getting hit, Altuve hit the ground hard and was checked out by manager Joe Espada before leaving the game.
Jose Altuve delivers encouraging injury update
After the game, Altuve spoke to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart
“It got me pretty good on the hand,” Altuve said to McTaggart. “I got a little worried and painful, so I came out of the game. … I’ll see how it feels tomorrow, but I think I’ll be fine.”
This isn't the first time Altuve's dealt with something like this. Altuve was hit by a pitch while representing Venezuela during last year's World Baseball Classic and broke his right thumb, missing the first 43 games of last season.
“The first thing you think, especially when you’ve been there before, is ‘something’s wrong,'” Altuve said to McTaggart. “Thank God everything is going good right now and hopefully tomorrow, I’ll be back.”
Espada broke down what he was thinking when he rushed out to check on Altuve after he went down.
“It hurt, so when he came out there and tried to grab [head athletic trainer Jeremiah Randall's] hand, there wasn’t much strength,” Espada said to McTaggart. “That’s when we ruled [him] out of the game.”
Despite the cautious optimism after Friday night's game, Altuve is not in the lineup for today's game against the Twins according to McTaggart.
According to Espada, Altuve remains day-to-day. “He's pretty sore today,” Espada said to McTaggart. “But he feels good.”
Mauricio Dubon will start at second base for the Astros instead of Altuve.
Altuve was having a great game at the plate and in the field Friday before exiting in the eighth inning. He was 2-4 with an RBI and made a sensational over-the-shoulder sliding catch in shallow right field to rob former teammate and Twins shortstop Carlos Correa of a hit.
He's the🐐 for a reason. pic.twitter.com/E3GKb8Hs4O
— Houston Astros (@astros) July 6, 2024
Altuve has been one of the best players in baseball this season. Before exiting Friday's game, he was slashing .310/.360/.466 with 13 home runs, 40 RBI and 13 stolen bases while playing Gold Glove-caliber defense at second base.
Earlier this week, it was announced that Altuve had earned the starting nod at second base for the American League in this year's All-Star game. It does not look like Altuve will have to worry about missing the Midsummer Classic with the day-to-day classification of his injury.
With Altuve leading the way, the Astros have been one of the hottest teams in baseball as of late. After starting the season slow, they've won 13 of their last 15 and now find themselves just two games behind the Seattle Mariners in the American League West and 2.5 games back of the Boston Red Sox for the third AL Wild Card spot.
Even though Altuve is out today, it sure looks like the Astros dodged a bullet and should have the star second baseman back in the lineup sooner rather than later.
