Astros veteran Jose Altuve started Saturday’s sport in opposition to the Reds at second base, however was pinch-hit for by Brendan Rodgers within the third inning. Houston later introduced that he had departed the sport with what they termed “tightness” in his proper hamstring.
Additional details about Altuve’s standing will seemingly be obtainable after the sport, together with whether or not the problem is extreme sufficient that the 35-year-old would require a visit to the injured record. Altuve has gone on the shelf as a result of hamstring issues twice in his profession, as soon as in 2019 and as soon as in 2022, although each of these situations have been as a result of strains of his left hamstring. That he doesn’t have a considerable historical past of hamstring points on his proper aspect gives some motive for optimism, however it ought to nonetheless be anticipated that the Astros will a minimum of ship Altuve for an MRI to find out the severity of the problem. Even gentle hamstring strains can take a number of weeks to get better, so it might hardly be a shock if the membership ended up deciding to position Altuve on the 10-day injured record.
Smart as that call could also be, it might be tough for the Astros to switch Altuve. The nine-time All-Star hasn’t appeared like himself on the plate this yr, hitting simply .259/.304/.374 with a beneath common 93 wRC+ and what can be the very best strikeout charge of his profession in a 162-game season, however Houston’s depth from which to switch Altuve is the lineup is minimal at greatest. Rodgers and Mauricio Dubon would absolutely be the membership’s selections to deal with duties on the keystone, however each have hit even lower than Altuve thus far within the calendar. Second base is now not Altuve’s main place, nonetheless, after he moved to left discipline throughout Spring Coaching.
With Yordan Alvarez already on the injured record at current, the membership’s outfield and DH combine can be paper-thin if Altuve have been to be faraway from the combination. Jake Meyers is taking part in day by day in heart discipline, however the outfield corners can be patrolled by some mixture of Cam Smith (95 wRC+), Chas McCormick (90 wRC+), and Zach Dezenzo. Dezenzo has largely appeared good (117 wRC+) in 20 video games with the Astros this yr, although his 29.5% strikeout charge is excessive sufficient to lift alarm bells. Maybe Yainer Diaz can assist fill in at DH till Alvarez returns from the shelf, with Victor Caratini becoming a member of the lineup behind the plate, however that does little to resolve the lackluster manufacturing from the outfield corners.
Even with Altuve within the combine, the Astros’ manufacturing in left discipline this yr is the third weakest in all of baseball. Eradicating Altuve from the combination would solely serve to weaken that manufacturing, and the one different outfielder on the 40-man roster is Kenedy Corona, who sports activities a lackluster 67 wRC+ on the Triple-A degree this yr. Barring an exterior addition or the shock promotion of a prospect like Jacob Melton, an harm for Altuve would seemingly imply even rougher manufacturing within the outfield for an Astros membership that has already fallen to 3rd place within the AL West with a pedestrian 19-18 report.
