As the Houston Astros prepare for the 2026 season, manager Joe Espada was planning on using Yordan Alvarez as his everyday designated hitter. However, Alvarez isn't fully down with that plan.
Injuries have held the slugger back recently, leading to Espada's DH decision. Still, Alvarez was quick to point out that his ailments haven't come in the field. Ultimately though, he knows his spot in the lineup is up to higher powers, via Chandler Rome of The Athletic.
“I’ve never gotten hurt playing left field,” Alvarez said through an interpreter. “All my injuries have been from different ways (and) running. But I haven’t had any serious injuries actually playing left field.”
“I don’t make those decisions,” Alvarez said. “They’re the ones that make those decisions. They would know how to handle that situation.”
Alvarez appeared in just 48 games during the 2025 season as he battled through hand and ankle injuries. Espada believes that having him serve as solely designated hitter should keep the slugger healthier throughout the season. At least to start the year it appears that'll be the case. Perhaps Alvarez can find his way back into the field with a prolonged healthy streak.
Espada and the Astros are most concerned with simply getting Alvarez's bat in the lineup. He entered the 2025 season coming off of three-straight All-Star appearances. The former Rookie of the Year and World Series champion has hit .297 with 170 home runs and 493 RBIs.
The Astros are counting on Alvarez to show a clean bill of health and keep mashing baseball. For now that, it appears he'll be doing so from the designated hitter spot.
