Houston Astros star Jose Altuve has surgery on broken right thumb, due for 2-month recovery
Utility player Mauricio Dubon is expected to slide into the lineup in place of Altuve, ESPN reports.
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- How well the Houston Astros start their championship defense without Jose Altuve remains a mystery.
What isn't, at least Wednesday and onward, will be the star second baseman's expected recovery time from right thumb surgery to fix a fracture in his throwing and batting hand.
The World Series championship club's general manager, Dana Brown, revealed a two-month-long recovery timetable for the 32-year-old All-Star, at which point he can resume swinging a bat.
The surgery took place Wednesday in Houston, and the team is keeping Altuve in town for the rest of the Astros' time at spring training, which closes on Sunday in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Altuve, who enters 13th MLB season, was hit by a pitch last Saturday while competing for Team Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic. The 96 mph fastball that injured the superstar infielder was thrown by Team USA pitcher Daniel Bard of the Colorado Rockies.
Altuve was coming off another stellar season for the Astros, having hit .300 with a .921 OPS in 2022. Utilityman Mauricio Dubon, who batted .208 games last season, is expected to move into the Astros' lineup to replace No. 27.
ESPN and the Associated Press contributed to this story.
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