Houston Astros All-Star second baseman Jose Altuve suffered a fractured thumb during Saturday night's World Baseball Classic game between USA vs. Venezuela and will under surgery in the coming days to mend the digit, according to Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle. The Astros have not yet placed a timetable on Altuve's return, but he's certain to miss the start of the season.
Altuve was hit by a pitch by Colorado Rockies closer Daniel Bard and left the game immediately and in obvious pain. Here's the injury:
One high-profile player had already 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 that losing Altuve, who ranked fifth among all qualified hitters with a .921 OPS in 2022, for any length of time is a devastating blow for the defending World Series champs, especially since Yordan Alvarez is nursing a hand injury and has not yet played this spring. Designated hitter Michael Brantley's status for Opening Day is also up in the air as he continues to recover from the shoulder surgery that ended his 2022 season prematurely.
Utility men David Hensley and Mauricio Dubón are the likely candidates to replace Altuve. Hensley posted a 191 OPS+ in 16 games last season. Dubón, meanwhile, notched a 60 OPS+ in 104 games split between the Astros and the San Francisco Giants. Neither seems likely to replace Altuve in whole, though it's fair to acknowledge that few players would be up to that task.
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.
