The injury-plagued Houston Astros finally got some good news on the banged-up player front.
Yordan Alvarez is going to begin a rehab assignment after taking eight live at-bats Saturday in Florida, which means the three-time All-Star and 2021 ALCS MVP should be back in Houston soon.
Alvarez has been confined to just 29 games and 100 at-bats, slashing .210/.304/.340 with just three home runs, seven runs scored and minus-0.4 bWAR. He has not played since May 2 against the Chicago White Sox due to a fractured hand.
The Astros lead the rival Seattle Mariners by a one-and-a-half-game in the American League West. But Houston is just 19-21 since July 1 and 13-15 since the All-Star Break.
What Did The Astros Say About Yordan Alvarez’s Return?
The Astros’ offense has been decidedly un-Houston-like. They rank 21st in the majors in runs scored (530) and 15th in slugging percentage (.402).
Their plus-27 run differential is just eighth-best in the American League, and Houston was shut out twice in its series loss to the Baltimore Orioles this weekend — capped by a 12-0 loss Sunday.
So Alvarez, who has topped 30 home runs in each of the past four seasons and boasts a career .573 slugging average, should help that. According to Astros manager Joe Espada, Alvarez will start at Triple-A Sugar Land and could join the major-league roster in Baltimore when the Astros go there next weekend.
“Itâs really good news,â Espada said Sunday before the Astros’ series finale vs. the Orioles,. according to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. “The fact heâs feeling better and weâre getting to a point where we can see him back is awesome.”
Alvarez’s hand injury was fraught with drama. He injured his hand while on a swing in April, and the team initially diagnosed him with a muscular strain since they found that injury on an MRI on May 6.
But as Alvarez recovered, then ramped up and prepared for a rehab assignment, he dealt with swelling and discomfort that caused further tests. Eventually, Alvarez underwent imaging, which showed a broken bone in his hand.
What Astros Are Injured?
Every team deals with injuries, but Houston’s long list of players on the IL is starting to get ridiculous.
Aside from Alvarez, the Astros are dealing with an arm injury to closer Josh Hader that may cost him the rest of the regular season. Plus, starting pitcher Cristian Javier left his outing Sunday — just his second since his return from Tommy John surgery — with an illness.
The Astros were shoved into re-acquiring Carlos Correa in part due to starting third baseman Isaac Paredes’ season-ending hamstring injury. Second baseman Brendan Rodgers has missed all but 43 games while dealing with a left-oblique strain then broke his nose and sustained a concussion while participating in a rehab assignment.
Plus, starting pitcher Luis Garcia has not pitched yet, and Lance McCullers is on the 10-day injured list.
Yet, like Alvarez, Garcia and McCullers are on the verge of coming back. McCullers threw 80 pitches in a rehab assignment Friday in Sugar Land, striking out five after giving up one run and four hits in five innings.
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