The Houston Astros are the defending champions, they want to reach the postseason again to defend their title but unfortunately Jose Altuve will not be available during the first weeks of the 2023 MLB season.
Jose Altuve was playing in the 2023 World Baseball Classic representing his homeland Venezuela in what was a good tournament for the South American team.
Although Altuve did not win the WBC title he was considered one of the top players during that tournament and he showed his top form at bat just like he does with the Astros.
Why isn't Jose Altuve playing against the White Sox?
Altuve is injured, he suffered a broken thumb during the 2023 WBC therefore he will be unavailable for 5-6 weeks. Altuve was one of the players who suffered an injury during the WBC, the other was the Puerto Rican Edwin Díaz (Mets).
The Houston Astros don't have another player like Altuve but they do have other shortstops like Alex Bregman, Mauricio Dubon and Jeremy Peña.
The 2023 MLB season is the 62nd for the Astros, they have only two World Series titles, one in 2017 and another during last season in 2022.
