Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve will join the team on the road and could be back in the lineup on Wednesday.
Altuve, a six-time All-Star and the 2017 MVP in the American League, has been out of the Astros’ lineup since May 10 with a strained left hamstring.
The Astros play Wednesday afternoon in Cincinnati and then head to New York for four games with the Yankees.
“We’re gonna bring him to Cincinnati, assess him,” manager A.J. Hinch told MLB Network Radio. “There’s a chance he is activated as soon as [Wednesday], which would be great for our team, both morale-wise and production-wise.”
In a five-game rehab assignment at Triple-A Round Rock, Altuve had four hits, including a triple, in 21 at-bats.
Hinch said outfielder George Springer, who has been out since May 24 with a hamstring strain, could go on a rehab assignment later this week.
Reliever Collin McHugh (elbow), on the injured list since May 14, also is nearing a return, Hinch said.
“Slowly but surely we’re gonna get back to full strength,” he said. “Our young guys and our new guys have done a good job of holding the fort down, but we all know that when you can get some All-Stars back and you can get your normal team back, that improves the bench, which improves our Triple-A depth.”
Before going on the injured list, Altuve was hitting .243 with nine home runs and 21 RBIs in 39 games. Springer had 17 home runs and 43 RBIs in 48 games while batting .308, and McHugh was 3-4 with a 6.04 ERA.
