HOUSTON -- Astros second baseman Jose Altuve underwent surgery on his right knee, Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow announced on Saturday.
Altuve's surgery was to repair a patella (kneecap) avulsion fracture in his right knee, a source told MLB.com. According to the Mayo Clinic website, an avulsion fracture occurs when a small chunk of bone attached to a tendon or ligament gets pulled away from the main part of the bone.
Altuve, a six-time All-Star and 2017 American League Most Valuable Player, battled through a knee injury for much of the second half of the season and the playoffs. Altuve injured his knee sliding into second base in July in Colorado and was hobbled since.
Altuve is expected to make a full recovery and be ready for Spring Training, the team said.
Coming off an MVP season in which he won his third batting title, Altuve hit .316 this year with 13 homers and 61 RBIs in 137 games. It was the first time since his first full season in the Major Leagues in 2012 that he didn't play in at least 150 games.
Altuve hit .276 with four homers and 15 RBIs in his final 127 at-bats after coming off the disabled list on Aug. 21 and batted .286 in the AL Division Series this year against Cleveland and .250 in the AL Championship Series against Boston, which ended with a 4-1 loss to the Red Sox on Thursday.
Astros manager AJ Hinch said Thursday that Altuve, who was the designated hitter in Games 3-5 of the ALCS, would have been on the disabled list had it been the regular season.