Even Jose Altuve Surprised by His Quick Return to Astros Lineup

The Houston Astros felt they were going to be without Jose Altuve for quite some time after he suffered a Grade 2 left oblique strain and went on the injured list.

That was on May 18. Obliques can be tricky injuries. A Grade 2 injury indicates an intermediate level of severity. The expectation was that he would need longer than 10 days to be ready return.

Well, on Friday — 19 days after he went on the injured list — Altuve was activated and batting fifth for the Astros. Even he was surprised.

Jose Altuve’s Amazing Recovery

Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve warms up prior to a game. — Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve. | Erik Williams-Imagn Images

Altuve spoke to reporters before Friday’s game and after his activation. He said to MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart that the expected to be down for five weeks with the injury. That timeline would have put him returning on June 19, based on returning on Friday.

Now, he just wants to stay healthy.

"I'm excited, obviously,” he said to MLB.com. “I've been working really hard this last three weeks, whatever it was, to come back and play. I love playing and I love being with the team. Hopefully I can stay there and healthy all season around.”

To make room for Altuve, the Astros optioned Zach Dezenzo to Triple-A Sugar Land.

When he left a game against the Texas Rangers on May 16 his conditioned was called left side tightness by the Astros. A replay of the swing that injured him made it look significant. After that he underwent an MRI and examination by team doctors and was placed on the injured list.

Because the obliques are on the sides of the abdominal muscles, it can have an impact on just about everything a baseball player. Swinging is the hardest part of the recovery because of the level of torque that is placed on the body.

Houston never set a firm timeline for his return, but it was encouraged enough after the following weekend’s road trip to send him to the team’s facility in West Palm Beach, Fla., to continue working out on his own. That led him to return shortly after that to continue a hitting and baseball activity program in Houston.

Now, the Astros have another big piece of their lineup back. He went on the injured list with a slash of .245/.326/.380 with four home runs and 12 RBI in 42 games. To that point he had been one of the few Astros that managed to avoid the injured list this season.

After an avalanche of injuries in April and May, the Astros are starting to get a bit healthier. Next could be starter Hunter Brown, who made his last rehab start on Thursday and Houston is trying to determine if he’ll get one more at Triple-A or make his next start with the Astros.

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