Houston Astros' manager Dusty Baker said Sunday things are progressing well for superstar Yordan Alvarez, per MLB. Still, the Astros are probably without their DH until mid-late July. Michael Brantley, on the other hand, does not have a timetable for return.

Alvarez suffered an oblique strain on June 8, and general manager Dana Brown said the following week that Alvarez would miss at least four weeks. The Astros are being careful not to rush his return to prevent a setback and another stint on the IL.

During Houston's series with the Los Angeles Dodgers this weekend, Alvarez ran and threw on the field and also hit in the cages. Baker said he “felt pretty good” after the light workout. This is great news for Astros fans, and hopefully Alvarez is ready to play shortly after the All-Star break.

In the meantime, the Astros are hurting without his bat in the lineup. Alvarez is one of baseball's best power hitters and led the majors in RBIs before his injury. Over his five-year career, the slugger's OPS+ is a ridiculous 163.

Alvarez was easily Houston's best and most reliable hitter so far this year. A risky offseason investment in former MVP José Abreu is certainly not paying dividends. Houston didn't pay the big bucks for a .232 hitter with five homers.

Other core pieces like José Altuve, Alex Bregman, and Kyle Tucker are having down years in terms of production. Altuve is also out of the lineup for now, nursing a heel injury.

The Astros sit 5.5 games behind the Texas Rangers in the AL West. While they probably aren't in danger of missing the playoffs, it's important they get these key pieces back to good form by October. As long as Houston makes the playoffs, they have the talent to defend their champion status again.

As for Michael Brantley, the veteran is also back in the cages and is continuing to throw during his shoulder-surgery rehabilitation. However, he was moved to the 60-day IL three days ago, so he won't be back in the lineup any time soon.

Brantley last played for the Astros one year ago today.