Who will replace Jose Altuve in the Houston Astros lineup? Looking at possible selections for the World Series champions

Jose Altuve broke his thumb after being hit by a pitch in Venezuela's World Baseball Classic loss to Team USA. The Houston Astros' star second baseman will be out for a while as a result.

The official timeline has not yet been laid out. The severity of his break is not yet known, so the timeline isn't clear. On average, broken thumbs can take up to six weeks to heal.

But that's for a minor one. If it's a serious break, and if it requires surgery, it could be a few months rather than a few weeks. If that's the case, the Astros may need to explore a long-term replacement. Here are their options.

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Options for Astros to replace Jose Altuve

The Houston Astros are a deep enough team that they can probably withstand the loss of the Venezuelan superstar for a little while. They don't have an immediate replacement at second base, but they have options.

They can shuffle the infield around. Jeremy Pena can almost assuredly play second base for a little while, as could J.J. Matijevic.

Could Jeremy Pena help replace Jose Altuve?

If not, then they have an outfield/second base prospect waiting in the wings. Pedro Leon is their fourth-ranked prospect and could fill in for a while.

Adeiny Hechavarria, Ryan Goins and others on the veteran free agent market could be of interest for a short while to provide depth, too. Perhaps they will swing a trade for someone like New York Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres.

The Astros will be lost without Jose Altuve, but they do have the overall talent and skill to overcome the loss for a little while.