It was a disappointing season for the Houston Astros since they didn't make the playoffs. At the same time, second baseman Jose Altuve was hampered by a season-ending foot injury.
As he embarks on his recovery, he hasn't made up his mind as to whether he will play for Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic, per Chandler Rome of The Athletic. According to Astros manager Joe Espada, there is no set time as to when Altuve will decide.
Altuve finished the season batting .265 with 156 hits, 26 home runs, 77 RBIs, and 80 runs scored. Meanwhile, the Astros finished the year with a record of 87-75. As a result, they missed the postseason for the first time since 2016.
The World Baseball Classic is scheduled for March 5-17. Altogether, Venezuela has played in every WBC since the inaugural tournament in 2006. In 2009, they achieved their best finish by reaching the semifinals and finishing third. During the 2013 tournament, Venezuela finished in 10th place.
In 2023, they reached the quarterfinals. It was during that tournament that Altuve broke his right thumb after being hit by a pitch by Team USA's Daniel Bard in the quarterfinal. Some big names have played for Venezuela, including Miguel Cabrera, Ronald Acuña Jr., and Salvador Perez.
Venezuela is expected to be a contender in the 2026 WBC.
If Altuve returns to play, he would add a dimension of power to the offense to the lineup. They are expected to add depth behind the plate with the likes of William and Willson Contreras, Gabriel Moreno, and Francisco Alvarez.
Nevertheless, they are not expected to retain depth in pitching, as Pablo López and Luis García are expected to be out due to injuries.
They will be up against a stacked Team USA and the defending champions, Japan, featuring Shohei Ohtani. Either way, Venezuela will be hard to miss during the tournament.
