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Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez was forced to miss Friday’s game against the Baltimore Orioles due to neck pain. After taking some pregame swings the following day, the pain persisted and Alvarez was held out of Saturday’s game as well.
“He’s still a bit uncomfortable in that area. He wasn’t available,” Astros manager Joe Espada said of Alvarez, per MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart on X.
The three-time All-Star has been one of Houston’s best hitters all season. Alvarez is slashing .306/.395/.545 with 29 doubles, 25 home runs, 67 RBI and 72 runs scored. He has a .940 OPS, an OPS+ of 165 and 4.0 bWAR in 121 games for the Astros so far in 2024.
Houston clearly missed Alvarez’s offensive production as they lost two close games to the Orioles while he was out of the lineup with neck pain. On Friday the Astros lost 7-5 and on Saturday Baltimore won a 3-2 nail biter.
The Astros started to separate from the Seattle Mariners in the American League West. At one point the Mariners held a 10 game lead over Houston. But as Seattle's offense went cold, Houston heated up. The Astros have gone 19-14 since returning from the All-Star break – winning 11 of 12 games at one point – and hold a 4.5 game lead over the second-place Mariners in the division.
The Astros miss Yordan Alvarez’s presence in the lineup
However, Houston is just 5-5 over the last 10 games and failed to fully capitalize on Seattle’s recent skid. The Mariners have gone 2-8 in their last 10 games. The team fired long-time manager Scott Servais in an attempt to shake things up and salvage the season. Still, the Astros have the advantage as they head into the postseason stretch run.
Houston has made the playoffs seven straight years. They reached the World Series four times in that span, winning two championships. Alvarez has played in the World Series three times. He’s been a clutch postseason performer for the Astros, winning MVP of the 2021 ALCS against the Boston Red Sox. He batted .522 with a 1.408 OPS and five extra-base hits in the six game series.
The six-year veteran is well on his way to his fourth straight 30 homer season. And Alvarez showed off his incredible raw power earlier this month when he smashed a scoreboard during batting practice before a game against the Tampa Bay Rays.
While Alvarez hopes to be back in the lineup soon, he acknowledged the injury is preventing him from contributing to the team. “I want to feel great. I don’t unfortunately. I woke up with some pain in my neck and it goes down a little bit to my scapula,” he said on Friday, per the Houston Chronicle's Matt Kawahara on X.
It’s unknown if Alvarez will miss additional time with his neck ailment. But the Astros need him back in the lineup to hold off the Mariners and make the playoffs for the eighth consecutive season. With Kyle Tucker still out of action on the 60-day injured list, Alvarez’s presence is all the more important.
