Astros second base Jose Altuve He left tonight’s game against the Rangers with a left side injury. Face to face Cal Quantrill In the bottom of the eighth inning, Altuve hit a ball to left field but did not run to first, instead holding his left side toward the dugout. The result was an easy double play. Altuve was later seen leaving the field with the team’s trainer. Nick Allen in his place in the ninth inning.
Manager Joe Espada told MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart and others that Altuve will be photographed tomorrow. It’s too early to tell if he’ll need time on the injured list, though it wouldn’t be surprising to see a cautionary IL placement given Altuve’s age. He is now 36 years old and in his 16th season in the Majors. Altuve previously went to IL in August 2023 with a sore left arm, missing three weeks. His other two left-related IL placements were in April 2022 and May 2019. Both were for the left hamstring.
Although he is still the veteran leader of the Astros, Altuve is no longer the pitcher he once was. By wRC+, he was at least 24% better than the average hitter every season from 2014-24, excluding the 2020 season shortened by COVID. Altuve dropped to a 113 wRC+ in 2025, which was above average, no longer eligible for an All Star. The early gains in 2026 have been worse, as Altuve’s .245/.328/.365 slash line is now 3% below average.
That doesn’t necessarily make him a bad player, but it does make him one of the weakest hitters in a strong offense. Jordan Alvarez dominated with 14 home runs and a 190 wRC+. Christian Walker resumes after a disastrous launch in Houston in 2025. Isaac Paredes it hits well, it was Carlos Correa before he underwent season-ending ankle surgery. Conversely, Altuve is the team’s only veteran below league average at the plate.
Whether he needs to miss time or not, a healthy and productive Altuve will be vital to the team’s performance this year. The Astros are 19-28 including today’s win, which leaves them in fourth place in the NL West. A major contributor to their poor start has been injuries to many people, including ace Hunter BrownChristian Javier, and close Josh Hader everything is currently on the shelf. Signed last season Tatsuya Imai and missed time with right arm fatigue, and while he’s healthy now, he has a 9.24 ERA in four starts.
A return to respectability will require the offense to remain strong and the pitchers’ health and performance to improve significantly. Fortunately, the first rotation may be close to getting a key boost. Espada said Brown will take live batting practice on Tuesday (link via McTaggart). Assuming there are no problems there, you will start the update process immediately after that.
Brown made two starts before going to IL on April 5 with a strained right shoulder. He was scheduled for a 5-7 week rehabilitation period starting on April 19, and was officially transferred to the IL for 60 days on May 9. That makes Brown eligible to return in early June, possibly during the June 5-7 home series against the Athletics. He’ll be in line for at least three starts if Houston wants to bring him back as soon as possible, though they have up to 30 days of Brown’s rehab deadline. Either way, the Astros’ rotation will benefit greatly from Brown’s return if he continues his performance from last year, when he had a 2.43 ERA and finished third in AL Cy Young voting.
As for Hader, he will need five more rehab appearances according to McTaggart. Hader started the year on the IL with left biceps tendinitis, transferred to the 60-day IL in mid-April. In 52 2/3 innings last year, he was his usual self. Hader posted a 2.05 ERA and a 29.1% strikeout rate for a walk differential that ranked fifth among professional pitchers. Like Brown, Hader is expected to return in early June according to the team’s injury report on MLB.com. That would go a long way toward improving the Astros’ bullpen, whose 5.81 ERA is dead last in the Majors.
Photo courtesy of Erik Williams, Imagn Images
