Houston Astros star Jose Altuve left their matchup with the San Francisco 49ers early on Tuesday night after he took a pitch directly to the foot.
Altuve, in the opening inning of the contest at Oracle Park, was drilled directly in his left foot by an 82-mph slider from Giants starter Carson Whisenhunt. Altuve immediately started hopping around, but he remained in the game to run the bases and even took the field in the bottom of the inning.
But that was enough. Altuve was pulled from the game in the second inning, and did not return. He was replaced by Nick Allen the rest of the way. The Astros said Altuve had suffered a left foot contusion, though further specifics are not yet known.
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Altuve entered the night with a .240 batting average with 13 home runs and 35 RBI this season. The 36-year-old is in his 16th season in the majors, all of which have been spent in Houston.
The Astros entered Tuesday’s contest with a 61-59 record, which has them in a narrow lead in the AL West in a tight race with the Texas Rangers. While it’s unclear how long Altuve may be sidelined with his foot injury, any extended absence from him is sure to make the divisional race that much more difficult down the final stretch of the regular season.
This post will be updated with more information shortly.
