Astros Star Suffers The Latest Devastating WBC Injury

Another brutal injury at the World Baseball Classic. This time the Houston Astros are the team in despair, after Jose Altuve had his thumb broken. 

Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve broke his right thumb when a Daniel Bard fastball hit him in Venezuela's quarterfinal WBC loss to Team USA and will undergo surgery. He's expected to miss at least two months.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 19, 2023

The injury occurred when USA (and Colorado Rockies) reliever Daniel Bard struck Venezuela's (and the Astros') second baseman in the thumb with a fastball.

Jose Altuve leaves the game after being hit in the hand by a pitch. pic.twitter.com/Dzd9phTnnK

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) March 19, 2023

Altuve will have surgery and be out for two months.

This, of course, comes on the heels of New York Mets' closer Edwin Diaz suffering a torn patellar tendon while celebrating Puerto Rico's win over the Dominican Republic on Wednesday. Diaz will miss the entire 2023 season.

This will no doubt continue to ramp up the concern over MLB teams allowing their players to participate in a pre-season exhibition tournament, with all of the millions of dollars on the line for their teams' salaries and MLB season outcomes.