Jose Altuve, the second baseman for the Houston Astros, exited Wednesday’s game against the Oakland Athletics after the fifth inning due to discomfort on his right side. However, both Altuve and manager Joe Espada appeared relatively unconcerned.
Altuve signaled for Espada and the trainer to come out after experiencing something unusual during his swing in the fifth inning. Although he struck out on a bunt attempt, he did not return for the sixth inning.
Espada explained, “He got fooled on the pitch and felt something. As a precaution, he chose to bunt with two strikes to ensure he was okay. Right now, it’s day-to-day.”
Altuve noted that the pain in his right side occurred only after that specific swing.
While Altuve had previously struggled with an oblique injury, Espada did not think the current issue was related to that past problem.
“I’m not concerned that it’s an oblique,” Espada said. “Right now it’s just right side discomfort, and we will see how he feels tomorrow.”
Altuve said he would wait to assess how he feels on Thursday.
“I’m not really worried,” Altuve said. “Maybe I just wake up tomorrow, and I’m good to go, so I don’t really want to take any positions tonight because normally, with an injury you wait until the next day and see how you feel.”
In the sixth inning, Altuve was substituted at second base by Mauricio Dubón. Ben Gamel moved from right field to left field, and Jason Heyward came in to play right field, taking over Altuve’s spot in the lineup.
Altuve, who had gone 0 for 3 before leaving the game, is batting .302 this season with 19 home runs and 62 RBIs. He has 174 hits, which ranked fourth in the majors as of Wednesday.
The Astros also faced additional setbacks as outfielder Chas McCormick was diagnosed with a small fracture in his right hand. Although Espada did not provide a recovery timeline, McCormick will be placed on the 10-day injured list.
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