The Houston Astros and their fans feared the worst about José Altuve Saturday night. A day later, the news does not look good. The eight-time All-Star left Saturday’s WBC game between Team USA and Team Venezuela after being struck in the hand by a 96 mph pitch.
The Astros updated his condition Sunday, saying Altuve suffered a right thumb fracture and will “undergo surgery in the upcoming days.”
The team said it will update Altuve’s status after the surgery.
Update on Jose Altuve. pic.twitter.com/I9nQEQ3uyS
— Houston Astros (@astros) March 19, 2023
Fans immediately wondered the obvious: What does that mean in terms of how long Altuve will be sidelined? A popular Twitter account specializing in sports medicine, Inside Injuries, took a best guess. The account tweeted, “Expect him to miss anywhere from 8-16 weeks depending on the exact location, severity and type of fracture.”
#Astros 2B Jose Altuve suffered a fractured right thumb in Saturday’s #WorldBaseballClassic game.
He will undergo surgery sometime this week. Expect him to miss anywhere from 8-16 weeks depending on the exact location, severity and type of fracture.
— Inside Injuries (@InsideInjuries) March 19, 2023
It’s important to note that Inside Injuries has not examined Altuve, and their prediction is just a best guess. For example, Philadelphia Phillies slugger Bryce Harper missed two months with a broken thumb last season.
“Obviously, nobody wants to get hurt and start the season on the IL,” Altuve said Sunday (via MLB.com). “I want to control what I can control, and that’s recover fast and get back to the team.”
Altuve’s incident is the second significant injury to an MLB All-Star in the WBC in recent days. New York Mets closer Edwin Diaz suffered a torn patellar tendon while celebrating Puerto Rico’s win March 15, and he’s expected to miss the entire season.
MLB fans wished Altuve well on Twitter Sunday, with some blaming the WBC, while others disagreed.
Wishing him a speedy recovery. Sorry to hear this happened and playing against the USA team.
— Kim Lackey (@KimLackey3) March 19, 2023
Jose Altuve will be healthy and in the Astros lineup when they begin their quest for a repeat during the 2023 postseason. The timing of this injury is a blessing in disguise. The Astros are good enough to win many games until Altuve is back in June or July.
— DreamTeamApple 🍎 (@DreamTeamApple1) March 19, 2023
The injuries to guys like Freddie Freeman, Edwin Diaz, and Jose Altuve are good reasons why we shouldn’t have the WBC.
— Matthew_Sean (@Matthew_Sean96) March 19, 2023
It was tough losing guys that are good but again it’s not the WBC’s fault and it’s not Jose Altuve’s fault he was HBP that resulted an injury and he as well as everyone else can’t control it unfortunately. Things like that could happen in ST and the RS too.
— Metra_BNSF_Rails (@BnsfRails) March 19, 2023
There’s just as much a chance of Bryce Harper breaking his thumb on a pitch during the regular season or spring training as there is Jose Altuve breaking his thumb on a pitch during the WBC or spring training
The people who hate WBC due to possible injury are disingenuous af
— Nick Piccone (@_piccone) March 19, 2023
[Houston Astros; Photo Credit: Fox Sports]
About Arthur Weinstein
Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.