HOUSTON -- Astros second baseman Jose Altuve is headed to the injured list with a Grade 2 left oblique strain, manager Joe Espada told reporters after the club's 8-0 loss to the Rangers in Sunday's series finale at Daikin Park.
Altuve was forced to leave Saturday’s 4-1 win in the eighth inning with the injury. He didn’t run out of the box while hitting into a double play and was holding his left side and grimacing while walking off the field.
“He said he kind of felt something on the left side,” Espada said on Saturday. “Obviously, not good [that] he couldn’t even get out of the box and run.”
Altuve hit his 42nd career leadoff homer -- one of four solo shots the Astros hit off Jacob deGrom -- giving him 38 career regular-season homers against the Rangers, which is the most he’s hit against any team in his career. It was also his 239th home run as a second baseman, which matches Lou Whitaker for the seventh-most home runs as a second baseman in Major League history.
Altuve was on the injured list for 20 days in August 2023 with a left oblique injury.
The team has already been ravaged by injuries this season. Currently, their starting catcher (Yainer Diaz), third baseman (Carlos Correa), shortstop (Jeremy Peña), left fielder (Joey Loperfido) and center fielder (Jake Meyers) are on the injured list, though Peña and Meyers could return Monday.
The Astros also lost ace starter Hunter Brown and veteran right-hander Cristian Javier to shoulder strains in early April, and closer Josh Hader has been on the injured list all season with left biceps tendinitis. Houston currently has 14 players on the IL.
“It’s frustrating, for sure,” first baseman Christian Walker said. “I see these guys prepare the right way every day. I see the guys taking care of their body. Altuve is dialed in. He eats the right stuff, he sleeps, you know, he lives right. For something like that, it’s truly just a part of the game.
“It’s frustrating, it’s annoying, but it’s starting to get into the ‘Win any way’ category. You want everybody on the field, you want our team to be full strength, but if we can’t, we’ve got to find a way to win, and that’s kind of where the mindset is lately.”