The Houston Astros are in a good place right now, but they’re about to get even better. According to Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle, the Astros expect to activate second baseman Jose Altuve to the active roster prior to Wednesday’s action. Altuve has been sidelined since May 10th with a hamstring injury.
The Astros plan to activate Jose Altuve from the injured list prior to tomorrow’s game.
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) June 18, 2019
Jose Altuve Expected Back in Lineup on Wednesday
While the Astros 48-25 record shows they’re capable of surviving without their star second baseman, there’s no doubt that Altuve will make this team significantly better. Aledmys Diaz, Altuve’s primary backup, suffered a hamstring injury of his own and hasn’t played in almost a month. With both second basemen sidelined, Houston has entrusted Tony Kemp and Jack Mayfield to start at second. Kemp currently owns a .226/.295/.414 slash line in 150 plate appearances while Mayfield owns an ugly .143/.163/.310 slash line in 43 plate appearances.
Altuve looked like his usual self during the early portion of the season. Prior to his injury, Altuve owned a .243/.329/.472 slash line with a corresponding 117 wRC+. While his numbers were slightly lower than normal, he was still an above-average hitter. However, it’s worth noting that Altuve posted just a .190/.261/.286 slash line and a 34 wRC+ in 23 plate appearances during his rehab assignment.
In addition to Altuve, the Astros should also get George Springer back sooner rather than later. Springer initially suffered a hamstring injury on May 26th and hasn’t seen the field since. The center fielder started off the year as a strong MVP candidate and still figures to be one of the positional frontrunners. Through his first 216 plate appearances, Springer posted a .308/.389/.643 slash line with a corresponding 172 wRC+. His wRC+ would rank third in the majors if he had enough at-bats to qualify for the league leaders.
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