JUPITER, Fla. -- Astros All-Star second baseman Jose Altuve was scratched from the lineup prior to Thursday's 4-1 win over the Marlins with what the team called "general left side soreness." He's considered day to day.

"He was a little sore after [batting practice] and he mentioned it to us, so we made an easy scratch and took him out," Astros manager AJ Hinch said. "Regular season, he definitely can play. He has a scheduled day off [Friday] so we'll see if he can play tomorrow. Most likely still the weekend."

Altuve was originally scheduled to make his third start of the spring at second base against the Marlins, but was replaced by Nick Tanileu about an hour before the game started. Altuve has appeared in five Grapefruit League games this year, going 2-for-11 with two walks and five strikeouts.

Altuve has been eased into camp this year considering he had surgery Oct. 19 to repair a broken right kneecap. He originally injured the knee sliding into second base last July and aggravated it a few times as the season progressed. He had surgery shortly after the Astros were eliminated by the Red Sox in the American League Championship Series.

Bregman feels fine

Saying he's never felt better in his life, Astros All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman said his removal from Wednesday's 11-5 win over the Marlins after one inning because of back stiffness was "more precautionary than anything" and he's looking forward to being in the lineup Friday night against the Cardinals.

Astros manager AJ Hinch said Bregman reported stiffness in his back after his at-bat in the first inning and was removed from the game. Bregman had surgery on Jan. 11 to remove bone chips from his right elbow and was playing in only his third game of the spring.

"My arm feels amazing," Bregman said. "My arm has never felt better in my life. I feel great. Everything feels great. My back kind of stiffened up the first swing of the day yesterday. We took precautionary measures and I'll be in there [Friday]."

Bregman admitted he worried the elbow pain he had been experiencing for a couple of years was going to be something he was going to have to deal with.

"I was worried it was going to be something else and I was just going to play through that and not let anybody know about it," Bregman said. "It ended up being a blessing it was just bone chips and got them taken out now and never felt better in my life."

Injured pitchers' progress

Three Astros pitchers who have yet to pitch in Grapefruit League games this spring took a step closer to doing so on the back fields Thursday morning. Right-handers Dean Deetz and Josh James both threw in the bullpen, and lefty Cionel Perez threw live batting practice for the first time.

James suffered a strained right quad lifting weights on Feb. 24, which cost him a shot at competing for the fifth spot in the rotation. He's still considered a near lock for the bullpen, even though he won't get into a game for at least another week. Deetz came to camp with a sore shoulder and has eased into his throwing program.

Perez is also on an individualized throwing program and he could compete for the final spot in the bullpen. He will get into a game midweek.

Up next

Right-hander Gerrit Cole will make his third Grapefruit League start when the Astros face the Cardinals at 5:05 p.m. CT Friday at Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. Cole hasn't allowed a run or hit in three spring innings. Top pitching prospect Forrest Whitley will throw in relief in this game.