Astros’ Jose Altuve may be put on injured list

Houston Astros’ star second baseman may not be able to avoid going on the injured list after exiting last night’s game early.

Jose Altuve pulled up lame after running out an infield single in the first inning of last night’s Astros‘ game against the Texas Rangers. He remained on the bag for a few pitches when A. J. Hinch noticed him look into the dugout.

Hinch brought out Jeremiah Randall, the Astros’ Head Athletic Trainer and they decided to pull him out of the game after discovering he had discomfort in his left hamstring. Aledmys Diaz came in to pinch run for Altuve and stayed in the remainder of the game.

“He looked a little uncomfortable, so we took Jeremiah out there,” Hinch said. “He’s being evaluated, he’s been evaluated, and it doesn’t seem serious. We won’t know the extent of the injury until we get to tomorrow. He was frustrated but made the right decision to alert us of some soreness.”

Altuve is being evaluated and is currently considered day-to-day. He is not in tonight’s lineup and will be replaced by Diaz. Hinch revealed today that he’s not optimistic that Altuve will be able to avoid going on the Injured List.

The six-time All-Star and MVP missed three weeks last season on the DL due to an injury to his right knee and never was quite the same after his return. Altuve is off to a slow start to the season by his standards batting just .243, although he does have nine HRs and 21 RBIs and runs.

We can only hope that it’s something not too serious and he’ll be back in the lineup soon, rather than an injury that can linger on for a while. Altuve is one of the main “sparks” on this team and will be missed no matter how many games he’s out.