Jose Altuve underwent a minor procedure on his right foot this afternoon, reports Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. The aspiration drained fluid from an injury between his fourth and fifth toes. It should not impact his readiness for Spring Training.
Altuve played through foot discomfort in the waning weeks of the season. The pain cost him a game in the middle of September, but Altuve wouldn’t go on the injured list as the Astros battled for a playoff spot. It wasn’t until they were officially eliminated with two games remaining in the season that he shut it down. Altuve wasn’t particularly effective as he played through the injury, hitting .218/.295/.385 in the final month.
It was something of a down season overall for the nine-time All-Star. Altuve still managed 26 homers with a solid .265/.329/.442 batting line, but his average and on-base percentage were his lowest in a full season in more than a decade. Altuve hit .363 with five longballs during a monster July but was otherwise a middle-of-the-road contributor. He had a .745 OPS or lower in every other month.
It’s not surprising to see Altuve’s numbers begin to trend down as he gets into his mid-30s. He’s still a good hitter but no longer the MVP-caliber bat he was in his prime. The bigger question moving forward is how the Astros will minimize his defensive weaknesses. The Astros have increasingly soured on his second base work. They hoped to use him primarily in left field this past season, reasoning that the short porch with the Crawford Boxes at Daikin Park could compensate for mediocre range. Altuve didn’t take naturally to the position, though, and skipper Joe Espada used him mostly at second base again by the end of the season.
The Astros don’t have great alternatives at the keystone. Rookie Brice Matthews had decent overall numbers in Triple-A, but he struck out in 28% of his plate appearances against minor league pitching. He punched out 20 times in his first 13 big league games. Mauricio Dubón is a quality defender with a light bat whose escalating arbitration salaries could make him a trade or non-tender candidate. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects the switch-hitting utilityman to make $5.8MM in his final year of club control. Ramón Urías struggled after a deadline trade and is likely to be cut loose in lieu of a $4.4MM arbitration projection.
At the moment, that leaves Altuve as their primary option at second base. They could continue to get him some left field work and use him more frequently at designated hitter if they’re willing to play Yordan Alvarez semi-regularly in left (especially at home). An offseason acquisition could change the calculus. Their longstanding interest in Cardinals’ trade candidate Brendan Donovan continues. Tampa Bay’s Brandon Lowe could also be on the move, while Gleyber Torres and Willi Castro are free agent possibilities.
Ewww. You could have just stuck with minor foot procedure and left out the details.
Astros fans might have been a little freaked out if that’s all they got.
Toe jam was too runny.
Drainage procedure preserves foot.
Was there fungus on his shower shoes?
It’s a minor procedure because he has such tiny feet! 😉
Bahaha
He’s a tough guy. Love his team first mentality.
“solid .265/.329/.442 batting*
13% better than average since MLBTR didn’t see fit to include that information
Attention: the story mentioned Mauricio Dubon as a switch hitter, which he is not. He bats strictly right handed. But whatever, maybe it’ll help him in arbitration
did he stub his toe on a trash can lid?
It’s minor cuz he just a widdle guy
That surgery isn’t so bad when you know its coming.
Whatever happens, I’m sure he’ll put his best foot forward.
No comments about a buzzer replacement?
Have they figured out a way to detach that mic from his upper chest yet?
Yes, it’s back attached to Jomboy’s tiny brain, where it originated.