Jose Altuve of the Houston Astros…see more

Jose Altuve of the Houston Astros returns to the lineup for their game against the Los Angeles Angels.

ANAHEIM, Calif. — José Altuve rejoined the Houston Astros’ lineup for Friday’s series opener against the Los Angeles Angels after missing only one game due to discomfort in his right side.

Altuve left Wednesday’s game after feeling something in his side during a swing in the fifth inning. According to Manager Joe Espada, Altuve had imaging done on Thursday, which revealed no major issues.

“After the game, he didn’t make it seem too serious,” Espada said Friday. “But after the MRI came back clear and he swung the bat well today, I felt relieved not to have to worry about it.”

Altuve was set to play his 142nd game of the season on Friday, putting him on pace to exceed the 146 games he played in 2021. This would mark his highest number of games played since his 153 appearances during his AL MVP season in 2017.

At 34, Altuve entered Friday’s game with a .302 batting average, ranking seventh among qualified MLB hitters, and was just one home run away from achieving a 20 home run-20 stolen base season.