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March 23 (UPI) -- Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve underwent surgery on his broken right thumb and isn't expected to resume baseball activities for at least two months, general manager Dana Brown told reporters. "Some guys heal faster than other guys, and he seems to be one of those guys," Brown said Wednesday at Astros spring training in West Palm Beach, Fla. "After that, we'll assess and hopefully he's coming along well. It looks like it's going to be about two months."
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Altuve fractured the thumb in the fifth inning of Venezuela's 9-7 loss to Team USA at the World Baseball Classic on Saturday in Miami.
Brown said in a news release that Altuve underwent surgery Wednesday in Houston and will remain in the city while teammates finish the final week of spring training in West Palm Beach, Fla.
Altuve could return in late May or early June, according to his estimated timeline.
The eight-time All-Star, two-time World Series champion and former American League MVP hit .300, with 28 home runs, 57 RBIs and 18 stolen bases in 141 games last season for the Astros. Altuve owns a career .307 average, with 192 homers and 279 stolen bases in 12 seasons with the Astros.
He is under contract for the next two seasons, with an annual salary of $29 million.
The Astros will host the Washington Nationals in a spring training game at 6:05 p.m. EDT Thursday in West Palm Beach. The Astros will host the Chicago White Sox in their first regular-season game at 7:08 p.m. March 30 in Houston.
