Houston Astros superstar José Altuve was injured on Saturday when he was hit by a pitch in the fifth inning of Venezuela’s World Baseball Classic Game against the United States.
American pitcher Daniel Bard, who struggled with his control throughout his outing, hit Altuve on the hands with a pitch. Altuve quickly left the game, holding his right hand in front of his body, moving it as little as possible.
While the extent of the injury is not completely known, Ken Rosenthal of Fox shared that “initial concern with José Altuve is that he has a broken thumb.”
As I just reported on broadcast, initial concern with Jose Altuve is that he has a broken right thumb. Not
confirmed at this point. Astros will provide more information tomorrow.— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) March 19, 2023
Baseball fans were concerned about Altuve’s injury at the time it happened. That continued following Rosenthal’s report.
Not ideal news for the #Astros. https://t.co/EkaWjD27TL
— Chad Washington (@ChadDWashington) March 19, 2023
This is suboptimal.
Lot of ABs about to be coming David Hensley’s way
(And likely Mauricio Dubon but they should go to Hensley) https://t.co/lx93QBAI04
— Patrick Creighton (@PCreighton1) March 19, 2023
Oh boy… https://t.co/OZApDaWmcx
— Michael Connor (@MC790) March 19, 2023
Bryce Harper broke his thumb when he was hit by a pitch last year. He missed two months. https://t.co/FZsDtTBSCh
— Matt Young (@Chron_MattYoung) March 19, 2023
Astros likely lose Jose Altuve for the start of the season due to a thumb injury suffered in the WBC. https://t.co/nEt2Z7pV8f
— Landry Locker (@LandryLocker) March 19, 2023
The WBC is doing more to level the competition in #MLB than the luxury tax. https://t.co/xNTEwKq4Xy
— Phil Rosenthal (@phil_rosenthal) March 19, 2023
Indeed, Altuve joins Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman and New York Mets closer Edwin Diaz on the list of star players hurt during the World Baseball Classic.
Assuming this actually is Altuve’s injury, the next question becomes, how much time will he miss? There are different degrees of broken thumbs so it could vary. But if his injury is similar to the one that Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper suffered in 2022, Altuve will likely be out until around Memorial Day.
Bryce Harper broke his thumb when he was hit by a pitch last year. He missed two months. https://t.co/FZsDtTBSCh
— Matt Young (@Chron_MattYoung) March 19, 2023
Altuve’s hit by pitch was part of a four-run rally, which gave Venezuela — who had been trailing 5-2 coming into the inning — a 6-5 lead. But the Americans rallied back, with Trea Turner slugging a grand slam in the fifth inning, giving the USA a 9-7 lead, which stood as the final.
