Houston Astros Reveal Extent of Altuve Injury, Play Coy On Return Timeline

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The Houston Astros could be without second baseman Jose Altuve for a little while as he deals with what the team is calling "left oblique discomfort."
The team has placed Altuve on the injured list with the stint retro-dated to July 4. This is now the second stint on the injured list for the second baseman this season.
Despite the move to place Altuve on the injured list, no timetable for return has been given. However the word "discomfort" rather than "strain" is notable as it reduces the severity of the injury.
That is something that Altuve himself noted according to The Athletic.
"Jose Altuve said the MRI on his oblique revealed relatively good news," wrote Chandler Rom of The Athletic. "He did not want to get into a possible timeline, but the imaging revealed something more minor than he presumed it would be after he felt the initial pain on his swing."
Houston would like to get Altuve back on the field as soon as possible as they are already without slugger Yordan Alvarez and the prognosis on Michael Brantley isn't good.
Altuve is eligible to return on July 14.
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Kade Kistner is the publisher and beat writer for Sports Illustrated's Inside the Phillies. An alumnus of Tulane University, Kade graduated in 2017 with a degree in Latin American Studies and a minor in Spanish. Upon graduation, Kade commissioned into the United States Navy and attended Naval Flight School in Pensacola, Fl. He served as a Naval Aviator and was stationed in Jacksonville, Fl. During his time in school and the Navy, Kade began covering the MLB and NFL with USA Today, SB Nation, and Sports Illustrated. Kade covered the New Orleans Saints, Texas Rangers, and numerous other teams within the Sports Illustrated network before launching Inside the Phillies, Inside the Astros, and Inside the Cubs. You can follow him on Twitter at @KadeKistner, or if you have any questions or comments he can be reached via email at kwkistner@gmail.com.