The Houston Astros lost on a walk-off against the Tampa Bay Rays in their series opener on Friday night.
And prior to Game 2 of the series on Saturday night, the main storyline surrounding the Astros was slugger and American League MVP favorite Yordan Alvarez being absent from the starting lineup for the second consecutive game.
Astros Announce Alvarez Update
Alvarez rolled his ankle on Thursday against the Philadelphia Phillies and was ultimately pretty sore prior to Friday’s game, which led Astros manager Joe Espada to keep him out of the lineup.
Before Saturday’s matchup against Tampa Bay, Espada gave an update on Alvarez, revealing that he’s still sore but said he’ll “hopefully” be back on Sunday for the finale.
“Yordan looks like he’s going to need hopefully one more day,” Espada said. “Came in, came out, moved around, hit in the cages, but still sore. More when he swings the bat and he’s got to turn that right ankle… so he’s still not there.”
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Yordan Alvarez not in the lineup for the 2nd straight day – Joe Espada with this update before the game@astros I #ChaseTheFight pic.twitter.com/kOOzvKvtDb
— Space City Home Network (@SpaceCityHN) September 12, 2026
Alvarez’s 2026 MVP Campaign
It’s been a stellar 2026 season for Alvarez, who’s in his eighth MLB season, all of which have come with the Astros.
He’s currently leading the entire MLB in batting average (.310), slugging percentage (.590), and OPS (1.017).
Across 145 games played and 522 at-bats, he’s recorded 95 runs, 162 hits, 38 home runs, and 96 RBIs.
Looking at the Astros
Houston entered Saturday night 75-73, and while they’re hovering around .500, they’re still in first place in the AL West. If they can hold onto that spot over the final 14 regular-season games, they’ll clinch a top-three seed in the AL postseason.
Houston Astros Announce Important Yordan Alvarez Update During Rays Series