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The Houston Astros placed second baseman José Altuve on the injured list because of discomfort in his left oblique on Thursday as part of a series of roster moves. The Astros also demoted left-handed reliever Parker Mushinski to Triple-A and recalled infielder David Hensley and righty Ronel Blanco.

Altuve, 33, had not played since July 3 on account of his injury. This is his second trip to the shelf this year, having missed the first month-plus after suffering a fractured thumb during March's World Baseball Classic. In 32 games this season, Altuve has hit .264/.371/.479 (134 OPS+) with six home runs, 18 RBI, and five stolen bases (on six attempts). His contributions have been worth an estimated 0.6 Wins Above Replacement, per Baseball Reference.

In Altuve's absence, the Astros will likely start Mauricio Dubón at the keystone most days. Dubón outplayed Hensley to begin the season, and has continued to be a surprisingly effective part of Houston's lineup. He entered Thursday sporting a 102 OPS+ on the season. Hensley, for his part, put up a 14 OPS+ in 26 games before being demoted to the minors. Hensley has since hit an underwhelming .220/.361/.339 across 33 Triple-A contests.

As for the pitching swap, Mushinski had appeared in only four games, most recently on Saturday. Blanco, who is expected to start on Thursday night against the Seattle Mariners, needed a roster spot and will be making his 15th appearance of the season. In his first 14, he amassed a 4.73 ERA (89 ERA+) and a 1.77 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

The Astros rotation is currently in a messy situation: Framber Valdez was skipped his last turn and Cristian Javier will be skipped his next time ahead of the All-Star break. The Astros are also without Luis Garcia, Lance McCullers Jr., and José Urquidy because of injuries.

Houston enter Thursday with a 49-38 record, good for second place in the American League West. The Astros trail the Texas Rangers by two games.