Astros' Jose Altuve: Close to facing live pitching
Rotowire
Altuve (oblique) took BP, ran the bases and fielded grounders Saturday, and he's slated to face live pitching in the coming days, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Altuve continues to show accelerated progress in his recovery from the left oblique strain that has sidelined him since mid-May. In fact, manager Joe Espada said earlier this week that the team is considering having the veteran infielder skip a minor-league rehab assignment in lieu of taking simulated at-bats. If Altuve's upcoming sessions against live pitching go well, he could be back with the Astros in the early part of June.
... See More... See Less
Astros' Jose Altuve: Might avoid rehab assignment
Rotowire
Astros manager Joe Espada said Wednesday that the Astros could have Altuve (oblique) simulate at-bats rather than embark on a rehab assignment, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Espada relayed that Altuve has been healing at an "incredible" pace, with the latter having already progressed to swinging at 75-to-80 percent effort. Given the veteran second baseman's recovery from a Grade 2 left oblique strain, he may take simulated at-bats in lieu of a rehab assignment and be back with the Astros quicker than anticipated.
... See More... See Less
Astros' Jose Altuve: Plans to start swinging soon
Rotowire
Astros manager Joe Espada said Sunday that Altuve (oblique) is expected to resume swinging a bat "in the next day or two," Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Altuve traveled with the Astros to Chicago for their series versus the Cubs but is slated to fly to Florida later Sunday as he begins his rehab program for the moderate left oblique strain that recently sent him to the injured list. He's already started playing catch again, but swinging the bat will represent a more meaningful step forward in his recovery from the oblique injury. Altuve still has multiple checkpoints to hit before being deemed ready for game action, but he seems to be making quicker progress than the Astros may have initially anticipated.
... See More... See Less
Astros' Jose Altuve: Continuing rehab in Florida
Rotowire
Altuve (oblique) will head to the Astros' facility in Florida on Sunday to continue his rehab, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Altuve told McTaggart that he's feeling good, and while an oblique strain typically carries a multi-week recovery timetable, the veteran second baseman seems to be trending in the right direction. Braden Shewmake and Brice Matthews have been splitting starts at the keystone in Altuve's absence.
... See More... See Less
Astros' Jose Altuve: Move to IL made official
Rotowire
The Astros placed Altuve on the 10-day injured list Monday with a left oblique strain.
Altuve has been diagnosed with a Grade 2 strain after injuring his oblique on a swing in Saturday's game versus the Rangers. The club has not offered a timeline for Altuve's return, but moderate oblique strains typically result in absences of at least 4-to-6 weeks. Brice Matthews should receive the bulk of the playing time at second base for Houston while Altuve is out.
... See More... See Less
Astros' Jose Altuve: IL bound with oblique strain
Rotowire
Manager Joe Espada announced after Sunday's loss to the Rangers that Altuve was diagnosed with a Grade 2 left oblique strain and will be placed on the injured list, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Espada didn't offer an official return timeline, but the veteran second baseman seems likely to be sidelined for at least a month given the severity of the strain. Brice Matthews picked up a start at second base Sunday for Houston, but Braden Shewmake and Shay Whitcomb are also likely to be factors at the keystone while Altuve is out.
... See More... See Less
Astros' Jose Altuve: Absent from lineup Sunday
Rotowire
Altuve (side) isn't in Houston's starting lineup Sunday against Texas.
It's not a surprise that Altuve isn't starting after he exited Saturday's matchup in the ninth inning with a left side injury. The star second baseman is slated to have an MRI taken Sunday, but GM Dana Brown said the "early signs" are that Altuve is dealing with an oblique injury, per Chandler Rome of The Athletic. Brice Matthews is starting at second base for the Astros on Sunday.
... See More... See Less
Astros' Jose Altuve: Exits game with side injury
Rotowire
Altuve was removed in the ninth inning of Saturday's game against the Rangers due to a left side injury, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Altuve was holding his left side after grounding into a double play in the eighth inning and was then replaced by Nick Allen at second base. The Astros should have an update on Altuve's injury once the veteran second baseman undergoes tests Sunday, per Julia Morales of Space City Home Network. Altuve went 1-for-4 with a walk and a solo home run prior to his exit Saturday. Allen or Shay Whitcomb should be the top candidates to start at second base in Sunday's series finale if Altuve is unable to play.
... See More... See Less
Astros' Jose Altuve: Out of lineup Friday
Rotowire
Altuve is not in the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Rangers, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
With Altuve getting a breather against right-hander Jack Leiter, Brice Matthews will lead off and play second base for Houston. Altuve hasn't homered since April 17 and doesn't have an extra-base hit over his last six games. On the season, the 36-year-old is slashing .245/.328/.365 with three home runs, 11 RBI, 26 runs scored, one stolen base and a 19:34 BB:K across 181 trips to the dish.
... See More... See Less
Astros' Jose Altuve: Getting breather Wednesday
Rotowire
Altuve is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Dodgers.
It's a routine day off for Altuve, who is celebrating his 36th birthday. The Astros are going with Brice Matthews at second base and in the leadoff spot in Wednesday's rubber match.
... See More... See Less
Astros' Jose Altuve: Resting during Game 2
Rotowire
Altuve isn't in the lineup for the second game of Thursday's doubleheader against Baltimore, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
After going 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored during Game 1, Altuve will catch a breather during the nightcap while Brice Matthews starts at the keystone. Daniel Johnson will fill the resulting void in center field and bat eighth.
... See More... See Less
Astros' Jose Altuve: Getting breather Sunday
Rotowire
Altuve is out of the starting lineup Sunday versus the Yankees, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Altuve started the previous nine contests, but the veteran second baseman had just two hits over his past 20 at-bats, so he'll get a chance to recharge. Braden Shewmake is starting at second base for Houston in Altuve's stead Sunday.
... See More... See Less
Astros' Jose Altuve: Homers in loss Friday
Rotowire
Altuve went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Friday's 9-4 loss to the Cardinals.
Altuve took Kyle Leahy deep in the bottom of the fifth inning to pull Houston within one run. After batting .378 through the first 11 games of the season, Altuve is 8-for-38 (.211) over his last nine games. Altuve's homer Friday was his first RBI in that span. The second baseman is slashing .293/.404/.493 with three home runs, seven RBI, 15 runs scored, one stolen base and a 14:17 BB:K across 89 trips to the plate.
... See More... See Less
Astros' Jose Altuve: Receiving night off
Rotowire
Altuve is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rockies.
Per Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle, manager Joe Espada said that Altuve's absence from the lineup is a routine rest day after the 35-year-old infielder started each of Houston's first 18 games. Isaac Paredes will spell Altuve at second base and will bat third.
... See More... See Less
Astros' Jose Altuve: Three hits in loss to Seattle
Rotowire
Altuve went 3-for-4 with a double in Sunday's 6-1 loss to the Mariners.
The Astros tallied five hits as a team Sunday, and Altuve accounted for three of those, as Logan Gilbert surrendered just one run on four hits across seven innings. Altuve continued his hot start to the 2026 season, slashing .333/.457/.526 with two home runs, six RBI, 12 runs scored, one stolen base and a 13:12 BB:K across 70 plate appearances.
... See More... See Less
Astros' Jose Altuve: Reaches base four times Sunday
Rotowire
Altuve went 2-for-4 with an RBI double, two walks and two runs scored in Sunday's 12-10 loss to the Athletics.
With lefty Jacob Lopez starting for the Athletics, Altuve hit leadoff and singled and scored in the fifth and doubled home a run in the eighth before scoring the tying run four batters later. He sandwiched two walks around his hits and reached base four times to push his slash line to an impressive .344/.523/.594 with two home runs, five RBI, 10 runs scored, one stolen base and a 12:7 BB:K across his first 44 plate appearances of the season.
... See More... See Less
Astros' Jose Altuve: Focusing on second base this spring
Rotowire
Astros manager Joe Espada said Monday that Altuve will spend most of spring training working exclusively at second base, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Altuve was the Astros' Opening Day left fielder last season and wound up splitting his time pretty evenly between left field, second base and designated hitter. This season, however, he appears slated to return to his natural second base position on an everyday basis. Zach Cole looks like the favorite to see most of the reps in left field for Houston.
... See More... See Less
Astros' Jose Altuve: Healthy to start spring
Rotowire
Altuve (foot) is healthy to start spring training and is expected to serve as the Astros' primary second baseman this season, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Altuve dealt with a rocky transition to left field to start the 2025 campaign and finished the year with a nagging foot injury, resulting in a .265 batting average, the lowest of his career apart from the 2020 shortened season. Now healthy and back at second base, Altuve will look to rebound in 2026. Manager Joe Espada emphasized the 35-year-old Altuve's health earlier in the offseason, stating that he needs to "help Jose have the right amount of time to be off his feet." With Houston's current surplus of infielders, it seems likely that Altuve will at least play fewer than the 155 games he did in 2025.
... See More... See Less
Astros' Jose Altuve: Resumes workouts
Rotowire
Astros general manager Dana Brown said Monday that Altuve (foot) has resumed workouts, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Altuve underwent a minor procedure last month to remove fluid between the fourth and fifth toes on his right foot, an injury he played through down the stretch of the regular season. The 35-year-old is not expected to have any limitations at the start of spring training.
... See More... See Less
Astros' Jose Altuve: Undergoes minor procedure
Rotowire
Altuve underwent a procedure to remove fluid between the fourth and fifth toes on his right foot Monday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Altuve played through the issue for the final few weeks of the regular season after suffering the injury Sept. 13 against Atlanta. McTaggart described the procedure as a minor skin aspiration, and the expectation is that the 35-year-old will be ready for the start of spring training.
