The Houston Astros may see one of the best power hitters in Major League Baseball return to their lineup sooner rather than later.
A fracture in Yordan Alvarez’s right hand has limited the designated hitter to just 29 games this season. As one of the most feared hitters in MLB, Alvarez’s four consecutive seasons of 31 or more home runs are likely to conclude. The regular season is approaching its end, and the postseason is lurking.
When will Alvarez return to the field for the Astros as they make a push for their third World Series title since 2017?
Alvarez is Making Progress
Alvarez suffered an unexpected setback during his rehab process. Initially, he landed on the 10-day injured list with right-hand inflammation on May 5.
“The injury to Álvarez’s right hand has featured plenty of drama and required a lot of patience. The Astros initially diagnosed it as a muscle strain in early May and began the process of ramping him up by late June,” ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez wrote on Thursday. “Then came lingering pain, prompting a visit to a specialist and the revelation that the outfielder was dealing with a fractured bone.”
After the Houston Astros learned that Alvarez had a fracture, they extended his stay on the shelf by moving him to the 60-day injured list on July 2. Since then, he has made progress in his recovery and has begun participating in baseball activities.
“Perhaps, though, there is a light at the end of this tunnel. Álvarez resumed hitting off a tee and taking soft toss a couple weeks ago and hit on the field at the team’s spring training facility on Tuesday,” wrote Gonzalez. “The Astros are going to be really careful this time around, but there is hope he can help them down the stretch.”
The Slugger’s Potential Impact
Aside from being a deadly bat in the Houston Astros’ lineup during the regular season, Alvarez, the 2021 American League Championship Series MVP, has had great success in the postseason.
In 60 career playoff games, Alvarez is a .294/.393/.551 hitter with a .944 OPS and 12 home runs in 252 plate appearances. His most significant postseason moment came in Game 1 of the 2022 ALDS against the Seattle Mariners, when he launched a bottom of the ninth inning fastball from Robbie Ray into the right field seats for a three-run walk-off homer.
There’s no doubt he can be a difference maker for Houston.
“When healthy, Álvarez is on par with [Aaron] Judge and Shohei Ohtani among the game’s most imposing hitters,” Gonzalez wrote. “Given how well the Astros have pitched, plugging Álvarez back into the middle of their lineup — with an ascending Jeremy Pena, a better-of-late Jose Altuve, and what they hope is a rejuvenated Carlos Correa — could put them in the conversation for the best team in the AL, if not all baseball.”
A 19-7 record in June helped the Astros weather the storm of a 12-13 July, but the AL West squad remains in first place with the Mariners just two and a half games behind them. Alvarez could be a game-changer in how the rest of the season plays out.
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