Jose Altuve's injury keeps him out of the lineup but Jeremy Pena returns for the Astros. Plus, Kris Bryant is getting his swing back together.

HOUSTON — As the days tick down to the MLB All-Star Game, the Houston Astros are showing exactly why you can never count the defending World Champions out.

However, while the Astros may be gaining ground on the Texas Rangers in the American League West standings, they may have to finish out the schedule before the All-Star break without one of their lineup's key components.

Houston Astros may be without Jose Altuve for a while

After being a late scratch for the July 4 game against the Colorado Rockies inside Minute Maid Park because of an oblique issue suffered in pregame batting practice, Altuve was present in the Astros clubhouse before Wednesday's series finale against the Rockies but was unavailable to speak to the media.

All questions about Altuve's health and availability were pushed to manager Dusty Baker for his media conference. However, there wasn't much for Baker to update as Altuve was once again absent from the lineup on Wednesday before undergoing an MRI on Wednesday afternoon. We'll see if the Astros have any more information about Altuve's condition before the game wraps up and if Altuve could be available when the Astros start a four-game series in south Texas against the Seattle Mariners on Thursday in their last action before the All-Star break.

Based on whispers we're hearing, there are concerns that Altuve might not be back before the All-Star break as the Astros may choose to rest him so he's completely healthy for the second half of the season.

Houston Astros get some good news on the injury front

While Houston may be without Altuve, the defending World Champions are getting healthier at shortstop, where Jeremy Pena returned to the lineup on Wednesday after missing the last five games with a stiff neck.

"It's tough when you lose guys lose (Yordan) Alvarez and Altuve, but this team is good enough to where we always have guys stepping up," Pena said before taking the field on Wednesday. "That's what we did last year, and that's what we've been doing this year."

The 2022 World Series MVP, Pena is slashing .247/.302/.399 with nine homers, 30 RBI and eight stolen bases this season. His return is a key for the Astros without Alvarez, who hasn't played since June 8 because of an oblique strain. However, Alvarez has made steps to come back from the injury as Baker has had to reshuffle his lineup without Alvarez, as well as Pena and Altuve in recent days.

However, Mauricio Dubon has been excellent as a fill-in for Baker with his middle infield ravaged by injury. The 28-year-old Dubon is slashing .288/.314/.416 in 267 at-bats. His slash numbers are well above his career numbers (.256/.295/.380), a definite positive for an Astros team that has needed some good news and a solid bench in recent games.

Colorado Rockies seeing positives in Kris Bryant after return

While the Astros are dealing with injuries, the Rockies have recently been able to add Kris Bryant back into their lineup on June 30 after he missed 27 games with a left heel bruise. Bryant admitted upon his return to the Rockies lineup that he still had some rust to shake off, but Colorado has seen some signs that that rust could be relinquishing its hold on the former MVP's swing.

In Colorado's 4-1 loss on Tuesday, Bryant opened his day with a sharp single to left, then ended it with a ninth-inning home run. Those hits were two of just three the Rockies gathered on the day.

"There's definitely some rust for sure," Bryant said on Tuesday. "Pitch selection, maybe my timing, but I told the trainers that I'd rather work through whatever I need to do here rather than in Triple-A.

"I feel like I'm comfortable in the box. I feel like I'm seeing it well. Hopefully, I can go on a little run."

Heading into Wednesday's action, Bryant had hits in three of the four games he had played since returning, including a pair of hits in each of his last two games. Inserted back into the lineup in the two hole, the Rockies are counting on Bryant to continue to feel even more comfortable in the four remaining games before the All-Star break.