Astros 2B Jose Altuve headed for more tests on injured foot

August 12 - The Houston Astros, fighting to maintain their lead in the American League West, could be facing a key absence after Jose Altuve ​sustained a foot injury on Tuesday in San Francisco. The star ‌second baseman was plunked by an 82 mph curveball from Giants left-hander Carson Whisenhunt. Altuve stayed in the game before leaving in the middle of the second inning. ​Nick Allen took over at second base. Following Houston's 4-1 loss, ​Astros manager Joe Espada said preliminary scans on Altuve's foot ⁠were negative but that more testing would be done on Wednesday.Altuve ​said postgame, "I wanted to go and play defense to see if it ​gets better, but it was getting worse. I didn't want to do anything stupid, so we decided to come out of the game." Asked about the chance of ​him playing in the series finale Wednesday afternoon, Altuve said, "Maybe I ​go to sleep and wake up and (I'll) be able to play. The thing is, ‌if ⁠I'm able to play, I'll be out here. I don't want to take any days or waste time, but it is what it is." Altuve, a nine-time All-Star, is struggling through one of the worst seasons ​of his career. ​He is ⁠batting .240 with a .304 on-base percentage, a .391 slugging percentage, 13 homers and 35 RBIs in 96 games.After an eight-game ​run from July 28-Aug. 5 in which he hit .394 ​and had ⁠six multi-hit games, Altuve is 2-for-14 (.143) in his past five games. A two-time World Series champion and the 2017 American League MVP, Altuve has a ⁠career .300/.358/.463 ​batting line with 268 homers, 924 RBIs ​and 327 stolen bases in 2,072 games. The Astros hold a half-game lead over the Rangers ​in the AL West after both teams lost on Tuesday. --Field Level Media