Houston Astros All-Star second baseman Jose Altuve injured his right hand during Saturday night's World Baseball Classic game between USA vs. Venezuela. He was hit by a pitch by Colorado Rockies closer Daniel Bard and left the game immediately and in obvious pain. The Astros say they will announce an update on Altuve on Sunday.
"You don't like it, but we don't have any word yet. So you're always trying not to think the worst," Astros manager Dusty Baker told the Houston Chronicle. Here's the injury:
Already one high-profile player has been seriously injured during the WBC: New York Mets closer Edwin Díaz. He tore the patellar tendon in his right knee during Puerto Rico's celebration following their win over the Dominican Republic. Díaz is expected to miss the entire season. That was a fluke injury during a celebration. Altuve was hurt during a traditional baseball play.
It goes without saying losing Altuve, who ranked fifth among all qualified hitters with a .921 OPS in 2022, for any length of time would be a devastating blow for a defending World Series champs, especially since Yordan Alvarez is nursing a hand injury and has not yet played this spring. Utility men David Hensley and Mauricio Dubón are the likely candidates to replace Altuve should he miss time.
Altuve, who turns 33 in May, slashed .300/.387/.533 with 39 doubles and 28 home runs last season. The Astros went 106-56 en route to the franchise's second World Series title, though Altuve went 11 for 58 (.190) in the team's 13 postseason games.
