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The Houston Astros continue to miss their All-Star slugger Yordan Alvarez, who was placed on the 10-day injured list with a strained muscle in his right hand in early May. Initial comments made by the team expressed confidence that the seventh-year veteran would only miss the minimum number of games with the ailment. But nearly three weeks later, it’s still unclear exactly when Alvarez will be able to rejoin the Astros’ lineup.
Fortunately for Houston, the team was able to report a positive update regarding the injury. Astros manager Joe Espada said Alvarez is “better” and began taking batting practice in the cage with coaches throwing to him, per MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart on X.
The Astros are being patient with Yordan Alvarez’s injury
This is an improvement over the previous hand injury update the Astros shared on Alvarez, which stated he was still experiencing pain in his swing and had only been able to hit off a tee. Still, the team has not released a timeline for Alvarez’s return.
The Astros have had a dominant run over the last decade. The team reached the playoffs in each of the last eight seasons and made four World Series appearances, winning two championships in that time.
But the Astros are a far different team in 2025. During the offseason, Houston lost key contributors when Alex Bregman signed with the Boston Red Sox and the team dealt right fielder Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs for the final year of his contract.
Houston was certainly counting on a vintage season from Alvarez to help smooth over all these changes the club is unaccustomed to. Interestingly, while Alvarez has struggled this season, slashing just .210/.306/.340 with three home runs, 18 RBI, seven runs scored and an 84 OPS+ in 29 games, the Astros have been able to hover around .500 and stay in the playoff race.
Alvarez’s issues could be explained, at least in part, by injury. He suffered a thumb strain during spring training. And now, of course, he’s dealing with a strained hand muscle.
