Jose Altuve injury update: Everything to know about Astros star

Jose Altuve left Tuesday’s game with an untimely injury for the Houston Astros. 

Every Houston Astros fan held their breath Tuesday night when Jose Altuve exited the game in the sixth inning. Dusty Baker went on the field to check on Altuve individually before the All-Star second basemen departed for the locker room.

After the game, it was reported that Altuve was “feeling sick.” While much more went wrong for the ‘Stros on Tuesday — a 6-0 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers — Altuve’s exodus was definitely the primary storyline.

Altuve has only played in four games for Houston after missing the season’s first 43 games due to a fractured thumb.

Houston Astros’ 2B Jose Altuve injury not thought to be significant

Dusty Baker told reporters that Altuve was held out for “precautionary reasons,” noting that there was something off about Altuve’s demeanor the whole night. According to Chandler Rome of The Athletic, Altuve’s voice could be heard in the locker room after the game but he was not made available for interviews.

The Astros entered Tuesday night’s game on an eight-game win streak. Altuve’s return has clearly revitalized Houston; the Astros are currently 28-20, placing them 2.0 games behind the first-place Texas Rangers in the AL West.

Baker would not clarify Altuve’s status for Wednesday afternoon’s rematch with Milwaukee, but one has to imagine Houston will treat him carefully after such a long absence. The MLB regular season is an unforgiving grind — 162 games, many of which can blend together and feel inconsequential by season’s end. The Astros are championship hopefuls and should absolutely play the long game with Altuve.

Altuve has registered three hits in 12 at-bats for Houston since his return to the lineup. That’s only a small taste of what he’s capable of. The 33-year-old smacked 28 dingers, batted in 57 runs, and finished fifth in AL MVP voting last season. Astros fans will no doubt hope he’s back in the lineup as soon as possible.