Astros' Jose Altuve Exits with Leg Injury After Fouling Pitch off Shin vs. Marlins

Jose Altuve's injury-plagued season continued.

The Houston Astros superstar left Tuesday's matchup against the Miami Marlins after fouling a pitch off his leg:

He originally remained in the game, beating the throw on an infield hit in the top of the first inning before later being removed:

Altuve, 33, didn't start the season with the Astros as he recovered from a fractured right thumb. That kept him out of action until May 19, and he spent more time sidelined in July with a strained left oblique.

When healthy he's been excellent, hitting .323 with nine homers, 28 RBI, 43 runs, 12 stolen bases and a .966 OPS in 49 games. He's been on an absolute tear since returning from the injured list and was last week's American League Player of the Week:

The return of Altuve and Yordan Álvarez in July was huge for an Astros team (68-52) that finds itself in the thick of a divisional title race with the Texas Rangers (71-48). Texas came into Tuesday with a 3.5-game lead on the Astros in the AL West.

Barring a shocking meltdown, these Astros will make the playoffs, even if they don't win the division and have to go the Wild Card route. The bigger concern at this point—especially if Tuesday's injury is serious—is keeping Altuve healthy.

While there's no replacing the future Hall of Famer, his replacement, Mauricio Dubón, has been extremely solid this season, hitting .261 with five homers, 28 RBI, 58 runs, six stolen bases and a .658 OPS.

He'll hold down the fort if Altuve is forced to miss significant time. But Houston's aspirations of winning a third title since 2017 hinge on keeping the perennial All-Star healthy.