Altuve strains left hamstring
It looked bad for Jose Altuve. Then it looked worse.
But the Astros second baseman was more optimistic than even he expected following his team’s 8-3 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Monday night at Minute Maid Park.
“I’m actually feeling better now than what I was expecting. But we’ll see (Tuesday),” said Altuve, who sprinted down the first-base line for an infield single during the eighth inning, then quickly went to the ground and hobbled off the field while grimacing.
The Astros officially announced that Altuve had suffered a strained left hamstring and is day-to-day.
“It looked like he might have pulled up right on time,” manager Dusty Baker said. “But we’ll have to wait until (Tuesday) to see the severity of it.”
Baker was unsure if Altuve would undergo an MRI.
“He will see the doctor. I can say that,” Baker said.
Altuve remained down for an extended period. As he slowly walked back toward the Astros’ dugout, he was joined by Baker.
“You never want to get hurt playing,” said Altuve, who went 1-for-4 on Monday and is hitting .167. “It’s something I take pride in, to stay on the field. Obviously, I don’t want to come out of the game. But it is what it is.”
McCullers transferred to 60-day injured list
The Astros transferred starting pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. to the 60-day injured list ahead of Monday’s home opener against the Angels, signaling that the righthander will not return before June.
McCullers has not pitched since Game 4 of the 2021 American League Division Series, when he suffered a flexor tendon injury. He suffered a setback in January but last week began throwing on flat ground.
Astros general manager James Click said Monday that moving McCullers to the 60-day IL is not indicative of a setback and does not change the pitcher’s prognosis.
“He continues to throw without any pain, which is the main thing,” Click said. “Right now the plan is to build him up to get him back to his normal starter workload. And so when you work that calendar and you think about what spring training normally takes, and not many weeks and things like that, moving him to the 60, it’s always difficult, but at the same time looking at the calendar, it shouldn’t affect his progression at all.”
Click said he remains confident McCullers will be in the starting rotation at some point this season, though an exact timetable remains elusive. The club is attempting to replicate spring training in McCullers’ workouts, building up from flat ground to the mound to live batting practice. There is not yet a determination for when he will begin the next phase.
Alvarez rejoins order with double the bang
Yordan Alvarez returned from his five-game absence Monday, just in time to give the Astros’ lineup a boost for the home opener against the Angels at Minute Maid Park.
“It feels great, feels super motivated to be back,” said Alvarez, who returned as the designated hitter and hit a tworun homer in his first at-bat and added another two-run homer in the seventh. “I spent the last couple days just trying to get back into the rhythm of things.”
After batting 2-for-14 in the Astros’ season opening fourgame series in Anaheim, Alvarez fell ill with a fever and was placed on the COVID-19 injured list for the remainder of the nine-game road trip. He spent four straight days confined to his hotel room.
“Sometimes a layoff can help you get your thought process back together,” Baker said. “Because that’s what half of hitting is; it’s a thought process and confidence. It’s just big to have him back in the lineup.”
Alvarez had not counted against the 40-man roster limit while on the COVID injured list. The transfer of McCullers to the 60-day IL made room for his activation, and infielder Joe Perez was optioned to Class AA Corpus Christi as the 28man roster move.
Pressly expected to come back soon
Click is optimistic that Astros closer Ryan Pressly is nearing a return after he was placed on the injured list with right knee inflammation.
Pressly, whose injured list stint is retroactive to April 14, received treatment at Minute Maid Park prior to Monday’s game against the Angels. He previously had surgery on his right knee in 2019.
“He’s feeling great,” Click said. “Something in there was barking, and it just didn’t quite feel right, so they drained a little bit of fluid. He’s expected to be back very, very soon. He’s in good spirits. You know, he’s hoping that that was what was causing a little bit of the velo dip. But the long-term prognosis is great. It’s just a very, very minor thing.”
In four outings this season, Pressly logged three saves but experienced decreased fastball velocity. Pressly’s four seamer averaged 94.6 mph in 2020 and 95.4 mph in 2021; this season, it has averaged just 92.7 mph.
Trout not in lineup, could miss series
Mike Trout was absent from the Angels’ lineup Monday night, and manager Joe Maddon was uncertain if he would play in the three-game series at Minute Maid Park.
While battling the shadows at Arlington’s Globe Life Park on Sunday, Trout was hit in the left hand by a pitch ifrom the Rangers’ Spencer Patton. X-rays were negative for a fracture, but the center fielder does have a bruise. Angels trainer Mike Frostad said Trout’s return to the lineup will depend on pain tolerance.