Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve is not in the team's lineup on Wednesday for the series finale against the division-rival Seattle Mariners at Minute Maid Park a day after the Astros clinched the American League West division title yet again. With Altuve getting the day off, rookie Shay Whitcomb will man the keystone and bat seventh versus Mariners right-hander George Kirby. After injuries limited him to 90 games in 2023, Altuve has had a great bounce-back year in 2024. The nine-time All-Star is slashing .293/.349/.436 with 20 home runs, 65 RBI, 22 stolen bases and 92 runs scored in 152 games played this season. Whitcomb, drafted in the fifth round in 2020 out of the University of California-San Diego, will be making his first start since Sept. 1. In his first 19 big-league games in 2024, he's gone 9-for-37 (.243) with three doubles, five RBI, five walks and eight strikeouts.
Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve (side) has returned to second base and is hitting leadoff on Friday in the series opener against the division-rival Los Angeles Angels and rookie left-hander Samuel Aldegheri. Altuve injured his side in the game on Wednesday against the Oakland Athletics and sat out of the series finale against the division rivals on Thursday before returning to start the weekend series in Anaheim. Fantasy managers will want to get the 34-year-old All-Star back into all starting lineups, especially against a young hurler without much experience. Altuve has been excellent for the Astros and fantasy managers all year and enters Friday's game with a .302/.357/.450 slash line, .806 OPS, 19 homers, 62 RBI, 20 steals and 86 runs scored in 576 at-bats as a contributor across all categories. He's been even better in September with a .389 average, a homer, four doubles and five RBI in nine games.
Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve (side) is not in the team's starting lineup on Thursday at Minute Maid Park for the series finale against the division-rival Oakland Athletics. Altuve's absence shouldn't come as a surprise after he was forced from Wednesday night's win over Oakland due to right-side tightness. Manager Joe Espada said after the game that he's not really concerned about Altuve's injury, with the team calling him day-to-day for now. Fantasy managers need to get the 34-year-old All-Star out of their lineups on Thursday and check back on Friday to see if he's available for the series opener in Anaheim against the Los Angeles Angels. Mauricio Dubon is at the keystone and batting ninth on Thursday against A's right-hander Mitch Spence. If Altuve misses additional time, Dubon will likely see most of the starts at second in his place for Houston.
Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve (side) left Wednesday's 5-4 loss to the division-rival Oakland Athletics at Minute Maid Park early after he appeared to be in pain after taking a swing in the fifth inning. Altuve stayed in the game, bunted foul with two strikes to end his at-bat and then immediately went into the team's clubhouse. He was replaced at second by Mauricio Dubon. The All-Star second baseman is getting treatment on his right side, and manager Joe Espada said he is "not really concerned" about the severity and Altuve is day-to-day. The 34-year-old went 0-for-3 with a strikeout before leaving. It's good news, but fantasy managers should expect Altuve to miss at least a game or two. The Astros finish their series against the A's on Thursday before a series opener on Friday at the Los Angeles Angels. Houston can ill-afford to lose Altuve for any stretch of time as October nears.
Jose Altuve Homers Saturday In 11-5 Win Over Arizona
Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve homered Saturday in an 11-5 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks. The homer was one of three hits for the veteran. During the season Altuve has hit an even .300 with 19 home runs, 59 RBI, 20 stolen bases, and 85 runs scored. He continues to be the catalyst in an excellent Houston lineup. Altuve is hitting .346 in his last seven games atop the lineup. He will look to continue his hot hitting in the series finale tomorrow against Arizona.
Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve is getting a day off on Monday for the series opener against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park in a rematch of last year's World Series. With Altuve out, rookie Shay Whitcomb will make the start at the keystone and bat ninth for Houston against Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler. Altuve was hitless in his five at-bats with three strikeouts in Sunday's series finale against the Baltimore Orioles, prompting the team to give him just his sixth game off of the season. Whitcomb will be a deep DFS sleeper to ignore in a tough matchup while hitting in the nine-hole. The 25-year-old has handled himself well in his first 21 big-league at-bats, though, going 6-for-21 (.286) with two RBI and a run scored while getting on base at a .423 clip. Altuve should return to the keystone for Game 2 of the series on Tuesday.
Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve homered and drove in two runs as part of a 2-for-4 day at the plate in Friday's 7-5 loss to the Orioles. The veteran was also hit by a pitch in the contest. It was the sixth time this month the 9x All-Star has had multiple hits in a game, although he has also had six games in which he went hitless, leading to just a .256 batting average in August. Nevertheless, the 34-year-old is having a solid year overall, recording a .299-17-55-73-18 line with a .345 wOBA and 127 wRC+, remaining one of the top options at the keystone for fantasy.
Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve is getting a day off in Wednesday's series finale at Minute Maid Park against the Boston Red Sox. Mauricio Dubon will start at the keystone and will hit seventh for the Astros against Red Sox right-hander Cooper Criswell. Third baseman Alex Bregman (elbow) is returning from a five-game absence and will serve as the designated hitter and bat in Altuve's customary leadoff spot. Altuve will get his first day of rest since July 7. Since July 9, he's hit .275 (39-for-142) with three home runs, five doubles, 12 RBI, five steals and 18 runs scored in 35 games played. The veteran second baseman is currently riding a modest five-game hitting streak, going 7-for-21 (.333) with a homer, double, three RBI and three stolen bases. Altuve is having a fine bounce-back season in 2024 and is a must-start in all fantasy lineups when he's on the field.
Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve had a big night in his team's 8-4 win over the Boston Red Sox on Friday. Altuve went 1-for-4 with a walk, a homer, two runs, and two RBI to help propel the Astros to the win. The veteran's two-run shot in the seventh inning was clutch as it tied the game at 3-3. Altuve is putting together a fine season, hitting .302 with 15 homers, 64 runs, 50 RBI, and 15 steals over 460 at-bats. He has been in a bit of a cold streak of late, hitting just .231 over his past seven games, so hopefully Friday's performance will get his bat going again.
Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve collected three hits in Wednesday afternoon's win over the division-rival Oakland Athletics, driving in two runs during the victory. After ripping an RBI single to left field, plating Jon Singleton to give the Astros a 2-1 lead in the second inning, Altuve lined an RBI double to left field to score Singleton once more and give Houston a 5-1 lead in the seventh inning. Wednesday was just another day at the office for the 34-year-old All-Star infielder, who's now slashing a strong .307/.353/.456 with 14 home runs, 46 RBI, 59 runs scored, and 15 stolen bases covering 410 at-bats this year.
Jose Altuve
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