José Altuve of the Houston Astros requires thumb surgery and will be out indefinitely after the 2023 World Baseball
Classic.
José Altuve of the Houston Astros need surgery to heal a fractured right thumb sustained while playing for Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic.
Dana Brown, the team’s general manager, acknowledged the injury and said there is no timetable for Altuve’s return:
Altuve was removed in the fifth inning of Venezuela’s 9-7 loss to the United States in the WBC quarterfinals when he was hit by a 96 mph fastball from Daniel Bard.
Venezuela manager Omar López told reporters after the game he was “really worried” about Altuve because “it didn’t look good” when he went down.
Astros skipper Dusty Baker told reporters ahead of the team’s spring training game against the Miami Marlins on March 19 before they had an official diagnosis it “appears it could be a while” that Altuve is out of action.
The loss of Altuve leaves a huge hole in Houston’s lineup for the foreseeable future. He is the team’s leadoff hitter and was coming off one of the best seasons of his career in 2022.
Altuve hit .300/.387/.533 with 28 homers and 18 stolen bases in 141 games last year. His 160 OPS+ was tied for his highest in a single season with 2017 when he was named American League MVP.
Reigning ALCS and World Series MVP Jeremy Peña will likely move into the leadoff spot in the batting order. David Hensley, who had a 1.027 OPS in 16 games last season, can fill in at second base for the time being.
The Astros open the regular season on March 30 against the Chicago White Sox.
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The Milwaukee Brewers are interested in two Astros coaches.
Following the departure of Craig Counsell, the Milwaukee Brewers are seeking for a new manager. Two Houston Astros coaches are reportedly being considered to replace him.
The Houston Astros will be searching to replace Dusty Baker as manager for the upcoming 2024 season.
They weren’t the only franchise that were looking for a new skipper either. Plenty of other openings popped up across the MLB following 2023 and many of them were filled on Nov. 6.
General manager Dana Brown has stated that he doesn’t want to rush their decision, so they’re still in the process of interviewing candidates, despite him seemingly knowing who he wants to hire.
Because of this sluggish approach, the Astros missed out on Craig Counsell, who was hired by the Chicago Cubs after leaving the Milwaukee Brewers.
The Brewers now have an open post to fill, and The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports that they are considering two of Houston’s coaches as prospective replacements.
According to Rosenthal’s sources, bench coach Joe Espada and hitting coach Troy Snitker are among those being considered.
He seemingly is the one to replace Baker for the Astros as he’s been part of the organization since 2018 and has been interviewed for managerial jobs in the past.
How quickly Milwaukee wants to move with their process is unknown right now, but if Houston doesn’t officially offer their job to Espada, there’s a chance that he takes this role with the Brewers.
Snitker has been with Houston as their hitting coach since 2019 after being promoted from their Double-A affiliate.
He’s the son of Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker, who is up for the NL Manager of the Year award.
It might be a little early for teams to fully consider Troy Snitker for managerial jobs after only having five years of Major League coaching experience and never playing in the MLB.
If he is hired by the Brewers, the Astros may be forced to look elsewhere for a replacement.
