The Houston Astros are dealing with some key absences for Wednesday night’s game against Colorado, with Jose Altuve, Victor Caratini, and Yainer Diaz all out of the lineup.
It’s been a rough stretch for Houston’s catchers. Diaz is still dealing with wrist issues after getting plunked by Baltimore, while Caratini entered concussion protocol following a foul ball off his mask Tuesday night. That forced the Astros to call up César Salazar earlier today.
The team officially placed Caratini on the seven-day concussion IL Wednesday. What makes this particularly concerning is that he took a similar hit to the mask just last weekend against the Orioles.
As for Altuve, this one’s routine. A team spokesperson confirmed it’s just a normal day off, according to The Athletic’s Chandler Rome. The star second baseman has only missed four other games this season.
MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart reported that Diaz was on the field with equipment, so he seems to be fine. But Houston’s playing it safe, keeping him out for a third straight day to let that wrist heal up.
With all the shuffling, Mauricio Dubón gets the start at second base, Jacob Melton takes center field, and Salazar handles the catching duties.
There’s some good news though. Yordan Alvarez is back in the lineup for a second straight game after returning from injury Tuesday. He went 0-2 with two walks as the DH in his return, batting cleanup. Tonight he’ll DH again but hit second in the order.
The Astros are clearly being cautious with their injured players, which makes sense given the timing in the season. They’ll need everyone healthy for the stretch run.
