Astros place Brice Matthews on 10-day IL

Astros GM Dana Brown said a couple of weeks ago that Matthews could return in mid-to-late August, but something changed there. This rules him out until Sept. 12 with the knee injury he suffered in the final game before the All-Star break.

Matthews hurt the knee when he hit the wall while attempting to make a catch early in the contest. The 24-year-old will likely undergo testing, and the Astros will have the All-Star break to determine whether Matthews needs a trip to the injured list.

Matthews made things interesting with a three-run shot against Nationals reliever Cole Henry in the eighth inning that brought Houston within a single run at the time. It was his seventh big fly of the year and first time going deep since June 13.

Alvarez celebrates his 29th birthday by taking a seat for the just the second time all season after going hitless in three consecutive games. It’s his first time out of Houston’s lineup since May 24. The 29-year-old slugger has been arguably the best pure hitter in baseball this season, slashing .314/.427/.619 with an American League-leading 25 homers and 56 RBI through 83 games. His 182 wRC+ is tops in baseball by a considerable margin. It’ll be Yainer Diaz taking a turn at DH with Brice Matthews handling left field.

Meyers has been on the bench for the last two days as Brice Matthews has started four straight games for the Astros, but Matthews will head to the bench on Wednesday. Since June 1st, Meyers is hitting .189/.250/.297 in 40 plate appearances, which has opened the door for Matthews to take more playing time. Neither one of them has been a great fantasy option, but Matthews does have more power and speed upside.

Astros’ skipper Joe Espada confirmed there’s nothing physically wrong with Altuve, he just needed a breather. Brice Matthews will start in his place at second base and will bat seventh against Stephen Kolek and the Royals on Sunday afternoon in Kansas City.

Shewmake was removed from Saturday’s game with groin tightness and will now find his way to the injured list. There is no timeline for his return, but it will give Brice Matthews a chance to take the starting second base job with Jose Altuve (oblique) also out. Matthews is starting at second base and batting eighth on Tuesday.

The 24-year-old Matthews had spent a lot of time in centerfield for the Astros this season, but after Jose Altuve got hurt, he started at second base twice over the weekend. Then, Jeremy Pena was activated from the injured list on Monday, and Matthews started in center field. Yet, the Astros then activated Jake Meyers from the injured list on Tuesday, and Matthews headed to the bench. With Meyers, Cam Smith, Zach Cole, and Zach Dezenzo all in the outfield, it seems like Matthews has entered a timeshare at second base with Braden Shewmake. Matthews has plus raw tools, but he also has a .207 average and 31.5 percent strikeout rate in 127 plate appearances this season, so it’s hard to see him as a reliable fantasy contributor.

That figures to cost him at least a month. Brice Matthews started at second base today and could be the primary guy there while Altuve is out, though Braden Shewmake could also be in the mix once shortstop Jeremy Peña is activated.

Altuve was sent for imaging on Sunday after injuring his left side on a swing during Saturday’s ballgame. The results of that MRI are not yet known, but it’s at least somewhat encouraging that he hasn’t been placed on the injured list — at least as of now. Brice Matthews will start in his place at second base and will bat leadoff for the Astros against Nathan Eovaldi and the Rangers on Sunday afternoon.