Jose Altuve has reasons for skipping the All-Star Game. But it doesn’t feel the same without him.
Jose Altuve has his reasons for skipping the All-Star Game. But it’s not the same without him
Maybe next year. Maybe then Jose Altuve will be physically fit enough and emotionally comfortable enough to appear in his first All-Star Game since 2018. Maybe, with the game in Atlanta and not the hostile AL West environment of Arlington, Tex., Altuve will take his rightful place at the Midsummer Classic as one of the faces of baseball.
Altuve is skipping this year’s game, marking his third absence, and second as an elected starter, since Major League Baseball penalized the Houston Astros for stealing signs illegally in 2017 and ‘18. Each time Altuve backed out because of a physical concern. Other players, from Derek Jeter in 2011 to Rafael Devers this year, have cited similar reasons for missing occasional All-Star Games. But the pattern with Altuve raises the question of whether he has developed an aversion to the attention surrounding the event, another night of getting booed, on a national stage, no less.
The whole thing seems odd. And maybe a little sad.
Altuve is not making up his ailments. This time, he’s dealing with a sore left hand caused by a 96-mph fastball that hit him on July 5. He showed his hand to reporters last week, and it was still swollen and bruised. But as was the case in 2021 and ‘22, when he also missed the All-Star Game, Altuve did not go on the injured list. He kept playing, and on Friday night, he hit a pivotal three-run homer against the Rangers
Altuve, 34, says he wants to be healthy for the second half. He appeared in 93 of the Astros’ first 96 games, and heaven knows the team needed him in its recovery from a 7-19 start. The Astros rallied from 10 games out in the AL West on June 18 to enter the break one game behind the first-place Seattle Mariners. The majority of the team’s fans probably would prefer him to rest rather than participate in the All-Star festivities.
But here’s the thing: Even though Altuve remains the face of the sign-stealing scandal for many fans of opposing teams – unfairly, in the eyes of former teammates and an Astros fan, Tony Adams, who conducted his own form of research – he is popular even among many who do not like the Astros. Otherwise, he would not have received 55 percent of the vote in the second, head-to-head phase of the fan balloting, defeating the Rangers’ Marcus Semien, who finished with 45 percent.
People want to see Altuve in the game. Yet, even before he got hit in the hand, he was noncommital about making the short trip to the event from Houston to Arlington. The day he was named the elected starter, Altuve told reporters,“The only thing I can say right now is thank you to everyone who made this possible – my coaches, my teammates here supporting me every day, the Houston fans. I’m really happy. I know they’re happy. Thank you again. I’m looking forward to keep playing games and winning games for you guys.”
Which is all you want from a superstar, right? Altuve and Alex Bregman are the only common threads in the Astros’ seven straight trips to the American League Championship Series and two World Series titles since 2017. And Altuve has played by far the most prominent role, collecting more than 2,000 hits and hitting 27 postseason homers, two shy of Manny Ramirez’s all-time record. Next season, Altuve begins a five-year, $125 million extension. His commitment to his team is exemplary.
Superstars, though, also have an obligation to their sport. The All-Star Game is a jewel event for baseball, a celebration of the game, a marketing and promotional tool. The collective-bargaining agreement requires players who are named All-Stars to attend the game and stay for its duration. The out for Altuve, and others through the years, is a provision allowing players to bow out if their clubs advise them to “treat a chronic injury or condition.”
It’s easy enough for clubs to provide documentation to support such a claim. The league isn’t about to force a player who says he is hurt to appear in an exhibition. But while the two days at the All-Star site can be rather hectic for the participants, one event stacked upon another, Altuve could limit his physical exertion to one at-bat and a couple of innings in the field.
Some players with nagging ailments will be in Arlington. Luis Arráez is dealing with a sore thumb and won’t play, but will be present for the festivities. Juan Soto recently suffered a contusion on his right hand. Bryce Harper came off the IL with a strained left hamstring less than week ago. Others surely are banged up as well, but want to be part of the occasion and in some cases share the honor with their families.
In 2021, the first All-Star Game after the league penalized the Astros, the entire Houston contingent – Altuve, Carlos Correa, Michael Brantley and Ryan Pressly – did not appear, with Altuve citing an ailing left leg.
In 2022, when Altuve also was an elected starter, he was struck on the left knee by a pitch the Thursday before the break. He then sat out the game at Dodger Stadium, where fans remain livid at the Astros, believing they cheated Dodgers out of the 2017 World Series title. The Astros who attended – Justin Verlander, Framber Valdez, Kyle Tucker and former manager Dusty Baker – absorbed the wrath of the crowd while Altuve stayed home.
It would be difficult to imagine the likelihood of getting booed unnerves Altuve, seeing as how he is booed season after season at parks across North America. His agent, Scott Boras, scoffed at the idea that Altuve might be ducking angry fans, saying he is, “totally about championships and competition readiness.” No one would dispute that notion. But many other All-Stars are totally about championships and competition readiness, too.
Maybe this is as simple as a veteran who is 34 deciding he needs to rest, nurse his sore hand and get ready for the second half. Such an explanation would be perfectly understandable in a vacuum. But the before-and-after aspect to Altuve’s All-Star appearances is undeniable. Before the sign-stealing scandal, he was a fixture at the event, appearing as a reserve in 2012 and ‘14 and making four straight starts from ‘15 to ‘18. Since the scandal, he has been a no-show.
He is one of baseball’s most remarkable players, a 5-foot-6 dynamo with a knack for playing his best at the biggest moments. A baseball career lasts only so long. Altuve deserves the joy of the All-Star experience, the lauding of his skills, the mingling with his teammates. Here’s hoping, maybe next year, he finds that joy again.
