Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve will begin a rehab assignment Friday with Triple-A Sugar-Land.

Sugar Land announced Altuve’s assignment on Twitter, and the eight-time All-Star will be available for the Space Cowboys on Friday night when they host El Paso.

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Jose Altuve is scheduled to make a rehab appearance here at @ConstellationEG Field TONIGHT! (Subject to change without notice)

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— Sugar Land Space Cowboys (@SLSpaceCowboys) May 12, 2023

Altuve has yet to play this season. He had surgery in March after breaking his right thumb during the World Baseball Classic.

At the time of the March 22 injury, it was expected he would miss eight weeks of the regular season.

Altuve, 33, is in his 13th season with Houston. He batted .300 with 28 homers, 57 RBIs and 18 steals in 141 games last season.

The three-time batting champion has a .307 career mark to go with 192 homers, 696 RBIs and 279 steals. He has helped the Astros win two World Series, including a title in six games over the Philadelphia Phillies last season.

Without Altuve in his customary leadoff spot, the Astros have struggled to score this season. They have just 161 runs through 37 games, tied for 19th in the major leagues.

Houston opens a three-game road series against the Chicago White Sox on Friday.

–Field Level Media

San Francisco infielder Casey Schmitt doesn’t currently have an established position, but rest assured that manager Gabe Kapler will find a place for the promising rookie.

Schmitt has provided a much-needed boost for the Giants, who continue their four-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday in Phoenix.

Schmitt collected four hits, including his second home run in his first three major league games, in the Giants’ 6-2 win over the Diamondbacks on Thursday. Schmitt is 8-for-12 to begin his career, tying Willie McCovey for the most hits by a Giants player in his first three games.

“He just keeps on producing,” Kapler said. “I know it’s been just a couple of games, but he’s made a pretty significant impact. I feel like we’re lucky to have his production, and I’m sure he’s enjoying every minute.”

Schmitt has started the past three games at shortstop in place of Brandon Crawford, who could return as soon as Friday after missing the past 11 games with a strained right calf.

Kapler plans to find ways to keep the versatile Schmitt in the lineup.

“Casey’s going to play some shortstop for us, play some second base, play some third base,” Kapler said. “He’ll move around for us. So far, he’s been a really good addition at shortstop, but he has a history of being one of the best third basemen in minor league baseball in the last couple of years.

“We don’t know if somebody’s going to need a few more days (off) than somebody else. We want to be cognizant of opening up all the possible doors for him.”

Arizona, which has lost three straight, will send right-hander Ryne Nelson (1-2, 6.00 ERA) to the mound on Friday. He allowed three runs (two earned) over five innings in a no-decision against the Washington Nationals on Sunday.

Nelson, 25, owns a 22-to-10 strikeout-to-walk ratio across his first seven starts this season. He will be making his first career appearance vs. San Francisco.

The Giants are expected to have right-hander John Brebbia (1-0, 5.93 ERA) serve as the opener in front of Ross Stripling (0-2, 6.66), another righty. Stripling allowed five runs on seven hits over five innings in a 7-3 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday.

Arizona outfielder Corbin Carroll is expected to be in the lineup after being given a break on Thursday. The D-backs are exercising caution with Carroll, who injured his left knee on April 29 and sat out the next two games.

“We targeted a certain portion of this return to have an off day,” D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said. “He’s fine. He’s in a good spot. We just want to be smart about making sure he is playing his best baseball for the entire season and not playing catchup.”

The Diamondbacks’ bullpen struggles continued on Thursday when Jose Ruiz allowed four runs (three earned) in the ninth inning, allowing San Francisco to extend its lead to 6-0. Lovullo said he is exploring options to help support his relievers.

“I might have to step up in certain situations and give some of the negative-role guys an opportunity to pitch in a positive role,” Lovullo said. “I’ve done that a little bit recently and you know the names and it’s a great opportunity for them. But it’s really about stepping up and getting the job no matter when you’re getting the baseball.”

–Field Level Media

Two pitchers who tend to bring out the best in their teams’ offense hope the trend continues Friday night when the Texas Rangers go for two in a row against the host Oakland Athletics.

Pitching ruled the opener of a four-game series Thursday when Texas’ Nathan Eovaldi (8 2/3 innings) and Will Smith combined on a three-hit shutout during a 4-0 win.

The victory came in Rangers manager Bruce Bochy’s return to the San Francisco Bay Area after 13 successful seasons at the helm of the San Francisco Giants.

The 68-year-old skipper admitted he felt like a winner even before taking the Oakland field for the series opener.

“It’s always good to be back in the Bay Area,” the three-time World Series champ said. “Great memories here. I don’t know if that’ll ever go away because we had some tremendous times and memories here. A lot of good friends. That stays with you, as it should.”

Bochy added to those memories with the Thursday win, which gave his club five victories in seven outings on a 10-game Western swing.

Texas left-hander Martin Perez (4-1, 3.86 ERA) will try to keep the good times rolling even though he is coming off his worst performance of the season — seven runs in 3 2/3 innings against the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday. However, only his stats were negatively affected as the Rangers powered to a 16-8 win.

Perez pitched much better — one run in six innings — but likewise got more than ample offensive support in a 15-2 win over the New York Yankees in his previous start.

The 32-year-old veteran owns a 9-7 record with a 4.46 ERA in 22 games (21 starts) vs. Oakland.

Some A’s players, including Carlos Perez (3-for-10 with a double), have had their fair share of success against the Rangers lefty over the years. However, perhaps the guy Perez needs to fear most is Oakland leadoff hitter Esteury Ruiz, who had two of his team’s three hits Thursday.

With his sights already set on Kenny Lofton’s American League rookie record of 66 steals in a season, Ruiz was gunned down for the third time this year by Texas catcher Jonah Heim in the fourth inning Thursday. Ruiz leads the majors with 17 steals.

“It’s a high number,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said of Lofton’s record, which has stood for 31 years. “It jumps out at you when you say it. But we’re going to continue to be aggressive with him and utilize his speed.”

The A’s have lost five in a row, but they turn to a good-luck charm of sorts when left-hander Ken Waldichuk (1-2, 7.25 ERA) gets the start in the rematch.

The 25-year-old has started four wins in his last five outings even though he allowed 15 runs over 27 1/3 innings in those games (4.94 ERA). Oakland has won his past three starts 11-10 and 5-4 twice.

The second-year major-leaguer faced the Rangers in his third big-league start last September, and he allowed five runs in five innings during a no-decision.

Former A’s infielder Marcus Semien contributed to the Rangers’ winning effort on Thursday, launching his seventh homer of the season.

–Field Level Media