Sep 24, 2025; West Sacramento, California, USA; Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve (27) hits a fly ball against the Athletics in the sixth inning at Sutter Health Park. Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

Astros Star’s Comments About Ailing Foot Could Have Ominous Implications

Originally posted on Houston Astros on SI
By Stephen Parello | Last updated Sep 28, 2025 1:00 PM ET

A lot went wrong for the Houston Astros down the 2025 stretch. Just 11 days ago, the Astros were still in first place in the American League West, though their once-sizable seven-game lead had shrunk, and their 118-day reign at the top of the division would soon come to an end.

Not only did Houston lose its grip on the division, a terrible 2-6 stretch over its last eight games has rendered the final matchup of the 2025 regular irrelevant as the club will miss the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

The season's post-mortem will show a lot went wrong for the Astros. The offense, which had issues to begin with, slumped hard down the stretch. The starting rotation lacked the necessary horses to keep pace, and the unit's prognosis looks even more bleak in 2026 with Framber Valdez all but guaranteed to bolt in free agency.

The biggest issue Houston faced, though, was a massive wave of injuries that could not be overcome. The pitching staff was decimated. Offensive engine Yordan Alvarez was absent for most of the year. And several others played through bumps and bruises with the hopes of pulling out a miracle.

One of the key players who was ailing down the stretch was franchise Icon Jose Altuve. The diminutive star has been dealing with a foot injury for the last several weeks, and his recent comments make his prognosis look grim.

Jose Altuve’s Comments About His Ailing Foot Sound Like the Worst Case Scenario

Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

After the Astros' irrelevant 6-1 victory last night against the Los Angeles Angels, The Athletic's Chandler Rome shared on Twitter/X what Altuve had to say about the prognosis of his bum foot.

Describing how he feels, Altuve said the foot "is pretty painful, but I had no choice but to go out there and play." He then mentioned that he is going to see doctors and they're going to "recommend some stuff," implying that some sort of surgery might be in his future.

A lot of criticism has been heaped on the 2017 AL MVP for his performance in September. All told, he posted a .208/.287/.377 line this month. However, since aggravating his injury by fouling a ball off of his foot on September 13, the hobbled star has hit .286/.366/.429 in a desperate attempt to keep his team afloat.

His heroic performance ultimately wasn't enough, and while it's only speculation at this time, the severity of the injury he's been battling seems serious.

Stay tuned in the coming days, as more details will come out and his status for opening day 2026 will come into focus.