54 seconds agoHouston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve is not in the team's lineup on Wednesday for the series finale against the division-rival Seattle Mariners at Minute Maid Park a day after the Astros clinched the American League West division title yet again. With Altuve getting the day off, rookie Shay Whitcomb will man the keystone and bat seventh versus Mariners right-hander George Kirby. After injuries limited him to 90 games in 2023, Altuve has had a great bounce-back year in 2024. The nine-time All-Star is slashing .293/.349/.436 with 20 home runs, 65 RBI, 22 stolen bases and 92 runs scored in 152 games played this season. Whitcomb, drafted in the fifth round in 2020 out of the University of California-San Diego, will be making his first start since Sept. 1. In his first 19 big-league games in 2024, he's gone 9-for-37 (.243) with three doubles, five RBI, five walks and eight strikeouts.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBaller
Source: The Athletic - Chandler Rome