Astros second baseman José Altuve will need surgery to repair the broken right thumb he suffered during the World Baseball Classic, the team confirmed on Sunday.
The injury occurred Saturday night in Venezuela’s quarterfinal game against Team USA, when pitcher Daniel Bard hit Altuve in the hand with a fastball. Altuve left the game in apparent pain and subsequently was evaluated.
There is not a current timetable for Altuve to return to action, according to Houston general manager Dana Brown. However, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports the expectation is that Altuve will miss at least two months.
“Obviously, nobody wants to get hurt and start the season on the IL,” Altuve said, via MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart. “I want to control what I can control and that’s recover fast and get back to the team.”
Altuve has been a durable player for Houston, playing in at least 137 games in nine of the past 10 full MLB seasons. The defending World Series champions March 30 against the White Sox.
