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Houston Astros second baseman left today’s game versus the Mariners in the fifth inning with an undisclosed injury. Well, “undisclosed” insofar as the team hasn’t announced what forced him out of action. But by taking a look back at his fourth inning at-bat, you can wager a good guess.
Here’s what Altuve did to a 1-2 offering from Mariners pitcher Wyatt Mills in the bottom of the fourth:
The spot Jose Altuve tipped the baseball...
— Stadium (@Stadium) May 4, 2022
Ow ow ow ow ow
(Via @zachleft)pic.twitter.com/5qQfemPpgF
Fouling a ball off of any part of your body hurts. But fouling a ball off of that part of the male body? Yikes.
Altuve instantly went down to the ground, but gathered himself after a few moments, finished the at-bat with a single and came around to score later in the inning. He was replaced at second base by Niko Goodrum prior to the top of the fifth.
The three-time batting champion had just returned to Houston’s lineup Monday after missing 12 games due to a hamstring injury. He’s batting just .182 with two homers and a .626 OPS through 44 at-bats this year.