Altuve Promoted to Houston

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - Jose Altuve, who just seven weeks ago was playing in Class A, has made it to "The Show."

Corpus Christi's second baseman received a call late Tuesday afternoon from Astros GM Ed Wade that it was his time - and that he needed to pack up his things and catch the next flight to Houston.  The move makes Altuve the first position player to get the call directly from Corpus Christi to Houston in the seven-year history of the Hooks franchise and just the third player overall in club history to make that leap in-season. 

Altuve's promotion to the big leagues came in the wake of a deal between the Astros and Giants Tuesday that sent Houston second baseman Jeff Keppinger to San Francisco for minor league pitchers Henry Sosa and Jason Stoffel. 

Altuve, the top hitter among all full-season minor leaguers with an average of .389, played in 35 games for the Hooks and hit .361 with nine doubles, three triples, five home runs and 25 RBIs.  Just over a week ago Altuve was the lone Astros farmhand in the XM All-Star Futures Game in Phoenix, where he started at second base for the World Team and went 2-for-3 with a double.

The 21-year-old Venezuelan was signed by the Astros as a non-drafted free agent in September of 2006.  He began this season with Lancaster in the California League, where in 52 games he hit .408 with five homers and 34 RBIs and was leading the circuit in hits (87) and triples (7) at the time of his promotion to Corpus Christi on June 1.

Altuve was chosen by the Astros Player Development Department as Lancaster's offensive player of the month in May (.388-3-22, 7 SB) and Corpus Christi's offensive player of the month in June (.364-3-18, 5 SB).

Altuve made it to Minute Maid Park late in Tuesday's 7-6 win for the Astros over Washington and could be seen in the dugout holding a bat, waiting for a chance to pinch hit.  Altuve did not play in the game.

Sosa and Stoffel, both right-handed pitchers, were playing for the Double-A Richmond Flying Squirrels of the Eastern League at the time of the trade.  As of late Tuesday night, their assignments in the Astros minor league system were not known.