Altuve diagnosed with right knee sprain
Astros second baseman Jose Altuve suffered a sprained right knee while sliding into third base Thursday afternoon and is not expected to play in any of the weekend games against the Angels, manager Dusty Baker said Friday.
Baker said Altuve will not go on the injured list at this point and that the team hopes his knee will improve with treatment.
“You’ve got to run its course and let it heal, so he’s definitely not available (for the Saturday doubleheader), and he’s doubtful for Sunday,” Baker said.
Aledmys Diaz was the scheduled starter at second base for Altuve, who was sliding into third in the first inning of Wednesday’s Astros-Rangers game when he appeared to catch his spikes on the third base bag and was slow getting to his feet.
He was removed from the game an inning later.
Altuve has struggled at the plate this season but was 6-for-14 since Aug. 29 and had four hits in 10 at-bats against the Rangers.
Devenski returns from sore elbow
Astros reliever Chris Devenski, who has been on the injured list with elbow soreness since the first week of the season restart in late July, returned to the active roster Friday and will be able to pitch if needed Saturday against the Angels.
Devenski was activated before the Astros’ departure from Houston and traveled with the team to California. He took the roster spot of righthander Joe Biagini, who was optioned to the alternate training site in Corpus Christi.
The righthander, who last pitched July 26 and appeared in two games before going on the injured list, said his elbow issues stemmed in part from the short startup time to the regular season’s resumption.
“Restarting in a hurry to get ready to pitch at a major league level is hard,” he said. “My arm didn’t bounce back the way I wanted it to. Now, going through the process I went through, I feel good.”
However, Devenski also acknowledged that his performance the last two seasons has not matched that of his 2017 campaign, when he played a critical role in the Astros’ World Series title.
“Everybody knows I haven’t been myself for a while now,” he said. “My performance has dropped off from where I was at. I’m not making excuses or saying this was the reason why, but there’s always a time when you can’t battle through everything. You have to get it right.
“I’d rather be right and help this team win than go out there and battle through something.”
Manager Dusty Baker said Devenski would not be available to pitch Friday because of his workload earlier in the week. Devenski, though, said he is eager to get back on the mound after weeks of rehab work at Corpus Christi.
“I wanted to be there and compete with them and go into battle with them, and you’re down there (in Corpus Christi) just trying to get myself right,” he said. “The most important thing was getting my arm right and calming down some of the inflam- mation I had.”
Bregman travels, part of taxi squad
Astros third baseman Alex Bregman was part of the team’s taxi squad for the 11-game West Coast road trip, and manager Dusty Baker said Friday that Bregman remains on course to be activated during the trip.
Baker said Bregman, who was placed on the injured list Aug. 20 after suffering a strained right hamstring during a game against the Rockies in Denver, was scheduled to take batting practice and infield with the team before Friday night’s game against the Angels in Anaheim, Calif.
Asked which hurdles Bregman must clear before returning to play, Baker replied, “He has to clear them all, really, mostly running and getting up and down at third base.
“We’re all glad to have him back because we miss him and his desire and his energy.”
Righthander Brad Peacock, who has not pitched this season, also traveled to California with the team and is on schedule to be activated during the trip to Anaheim, Oakland and Los Angeles.
Also on the taxi squad are righthander Humberto Castellanos, outfielder Chas McCormick and righthander Jose Urquidy, who will be activated in time to pitch the second game of a Saturday doubleheader. Righthander Brandon Bielak will start the first game.