Neck discomfort keeps Altuve out of lineup
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Jose Altuve was absent from the Astros’ lineup Friday night, a day after the Astros star second baseman exited from a game with a sore neck.
Altuve’s status for Saturday night’s game against the Los Angeles Angels is uncertain. The five-time All-Star felt discomfort while swinging during the Astros’ series finale against the Nationals.
“He’s still having a little bit of symptoms with his neck, so he’s not going to play until we feel like he’s not going to irritate it anymore,” said A.J. Hinch, who described Altuve’s status as “day-to-day.”
As for Altuve’s status the rest of the weekend, Hinch said, “We’ll see (Saturday). I don’t want to rule it out. But I don’t want to guarantee it, either.”
McCracken exits front-office role
Quinton McCracken, the Astros’ director of player personnel for the last two seasons and a fixture in their front office for the last five, won’t be a part of general manager Jeff Luhnow’s restructured baseball operations department.
The Astros on Friday confirmed McCracken’s departure from the team, which they described as a mutual agreement to part ways. News of his exit surfaced on a day the Astros announced several promotions and title changes in their front office.
McCracken, whose contract was set to expire at the end of October, plans to pursue other opportunities working in baseball.
“(With) the recent reconfiguration of the front office staff, we mutually agreed it was best for me to pursue other opportunities in the baseball community,” McCracken told the Chronicle. “It was a mutual agreement. My contract was due at the end of this cycle, and we decided that it just wasn’t a proper fit moving forward.”
Word of McCracken’s departure came a week after the Astros fired at least eight scouts whose contracts were set to expire at the end of October.
Of the front-office title changes the Astros announced, the most notable pertain to assistant general manager Mike Elias, director of baseball operations Brandon Taubman, pro scouting director Kevin Goldstein and director of international Oz Ocampo.
Elias will remain the Astros’ lone assistant GM but instead of heading up “scouting and player development” will be in charge of “player acquisition.” The team said Elias will oversee both international and amateur scouting in this role.
Taubman was elevated to senior director of baseball operations in charge of research and innovation, which according to the Astros expands his oversight to include the team’s analytics groups.
Goldstein and Ocampo are now each special assistants to the GM, Goldstein in charge of player personnel and Ocampo overseeing baseball operations.
Gattis returns; Stassi put on DL
Evan Gattis, who despite a dip in home runs has produced at an aboveleague average rate this season, was activated from the disabled list before Friday night’s game.
The slugging catcher/ designated hitter missed the team’s previous 19 games because of a concussion.
Gattis went 1-for-4, singling in the seventh inning of Friday’s 2-1 victory.
The Astros put catcher Max Stassi on the 10-day DL to clear a spot on the active roster. The team labeled Stassi’s injury as left hand inflammation.
Stassi last played Wednesday when he launched a 442-foot home run in his final at-bat.
Odds and ends
Carlos Correa had a scheduled day off Friday from his rehab assignment at Class AAA Fresno. He is slated to play as designated hitter Saturday. … Michael Feliz’s next rehab outing won’t be this weekend after all. He