Houston Astros stars Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa both announced Thursday they would not play in the upcoming MLB All-Star Game.
Altuve wants to rest a nagging leg injury, though it hasn’t prevented him from playing this week. Correa originally said he would skip the exhibition to spend time with his pregnant wife, who is due in November. But now, the shortstop has been placed on the injured list before Friday’s series opener against the Yankees due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
“If a guy’s sick, he’s sick, there’s nothing you can do about it,” Astros manager Dusty Baker said. “He’s day to day. We’ll see.”
Astros pitcher Brooks Raley was also added to the injured list on Thursday for health and safety protocols.
Correa is in the final year of his contract with the Astros, accumulating a .288 batting average with 16 home runs and 52 RBIs while handling shortstop for Houston. Meanwhile, Altuve, a second baseman, entered Thursday hitting .286 with 19 homers and 52 RBIs. Both are high-profile names in Houston’s illegal sign-stealing scheme. Astros players stole signs through a hidden camera, transmitting messages via banging on a trashcan.
This would have been Correa’s second All-Star Game appearance while Altuve was chosen for a club-record-tying seventh time.
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“It was a tough decision,” Correa said. “People voted for me to be in it. People wanted to see me play in it. We’ve been trying for a long time to have a first child, and now that it’s finally here, I want to spend those days with her and get the whole experience, go to the doctor’s appointments to see the baby in the sonogram and everything. I really want to enjoy that part.”
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