Astros' José Altuve Needs Surgery for Thumb Injury; Out Indefinitely After 2023 WBC

Houston Astros star José Altuve needs surgery to repair a fractured right thumb after being hit by a pitch in the hand while playing for Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic.

General manager Dana Brown confirmed the injury, adding there is no timetable for Altuve to 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.