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With the Houston Astros coming out of the trade deadline, the team is still looking for the hopeful return of star Yordan Alvarez, who has only played 29 games this season. As Alvarez has taken big steps with the Astros for his eventual return, the latest report suggests that fans could get to see the slugger sooner rather than later.
Aiden Gonzalez of ESPN would speak about Alvarez and how there is “light at the end of this tunnel” as the 28-year-old has “resumed hitting” as early as Tuesday. However, it's not like the team is rushing Alvarez back, as they will be cautious in their approach, as the hand injury has been delicate.
“The injury to Álvarez's right hand has featured plenty of drama and required a lot of patience,” Gonzalez wrote. “The Astros initially diagnosed it as a muscle strain in early May and began the process of ramping him up by late June. Then came lingering pain, prompting a visit to a specialist and the revelation that the outfielder was dealing with a fractured bone.”
“Perhaps, though, there is a light at the end of this tunnel,” Gonzalez continued. “Álvarez resumed hitting off a tee and taking soft toss a couple weeks ago and hit on the field at the team's spring training facility on Tuesday. The Astros are going to be really careful this time around, but there is hope he can help them down the stretch.”
Astros getting back Yordan Alvarez would be dangerous for MLB
Besides Alvarez, the Astros got better after reuniting with Carlos Correa at the trade deadline, as the team still holds first place in the AL West. Despite losing Kyle Tucker and Alex Bregman in the offseason, the team has held its ground and found success, and adding a healthy Alvarez would do nothing but result in positive results, as Gonzalez writes.
“When healthy, Álvarez is on par with Judge and Shohei Ohtani among the game's most imposing hitters,” Gonzalez wrote. “Given how well the Astros have pitched, plugging Álvarez back into the middle of their lineup — with an ascending Jeremy Peña, a better-of-late Jose Altuve, and what they hope is a rejuvenated Carlos Correa — could put them in the conversation for the best team in the AL, if not all baseball.”
There's no doubt that Alvarez swinging again brought a sigh of relief to any Houston fan, as the first hearing about that update was by Chandler Rome of The Athletic from last month.
“Yordan Alvarez is swinging again,” Rome wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “Chas McCormick has been reinstated from the IL, and Kenedy Corona was optioned. Spencer Arrightetti and Cristian Javier headed to Double-A Corpus Christi this week. Luis Garcia is going to Single-A Fayetteville. Jeremy Peña is in Florida.”
At any rate, Houston starts a three-game series against the New York Yankees on Friday night.
