Jose Altuve to undergo imaging after left side injury vs Rangers

Jose Altuve left Saturday night’s 4-1 Houston Astros victory over the Texas Rangers with an apparent left side injury, and the 36-year-old second baseman is scheduled to undergo imaging on Sunday morning to determine the severity, the team said.

Altuve exited during the eighth inning after swinging and grounding a ball toward third but not running out the play. Players and staff noted that he grabbed his left side and walked toward the dugout, where he was met by manager Joe Espada and the Astros medical/training staff. Nick Allen replaced Altuve at second base in the ninth. Espada said it was too early to gauge how serious the injury is, but he underscored that Altuve’s inability to accelerate was concerning.

“It’s not good he couldn’t even get out of the box and run,” Espada said.

Altuve went back to the clubhouse after the injury and did not speak to reporters after the game, indicating he would wait until his MRI results are available before commenting. The imaging is expected to clarify whether he will miss games and, if so, the likely length of any recovery period.

The injury comes amid an already heavy lineup burden for Houston. The Astros entered the game with 14 players...