Yordan Alvarez injury update: Astros slugger to remain sidelined after fracture discovered in right hand

Alvarez had been nearing his return from a strained muscle

Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez, who had hoped to return to Houston's lineup this weekend for the first time since early May, will instead be shut down after new imaging revealed a small fracture in his right hand. General manager Dana Brown announced the development ahead of Saturday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays, noting that Alvarez's fracture is already 60% healed.

Alvarez had been sidelined since May 3 with a strained muscle in his right hand. Brown explained that Alvarez had begun feeling better as the inflammation and fluid subsided. Alvarez only underwent new imaging on Saturday out of precaution after feeling continued discomfort following his batting practice session on Friday. Brown suggested that Alvarez's fracture may have occurred as he attempted to work his way through the aforementioned strained muscle.

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Alvarez, 27, had hit just .210/.306/.340 (84 OPS+) with three home runs in his first 29 games this season. Those marks are well beneath his typical standards. Indeed, for his career, he's batted .295/.387/.573 (163 OPS+) with an average of 41 home runs per 162 games. It seems fair to credit those struggles to the state of his hand.

"Obviously, going onto the field, it's been a little bit frustrating being on the IL because of my hand," Alvarez said on Thursday, before the broken bone was discovered. "It's not a secret how difficult it is as a hitter to be dealing with hand pain. I've played hurt before, but obviously now with inflammation, it's a little bit different."

No exact timetable was given for Alvarez's return. Coincidentally, this is the second time in as many years the Astros have discovered a broken bone after making a different initial diagnosis. Last year, former outfielder Kyle Tucker was revealed to have a fractured shin months after the injury was labeled as a contusion. Tucker noted at the time that the fracture wasn't discovered until after the inflammation cleared.

In addition to Alvarez's setback, the Astros received other bad news on Saturday, placing outfielder Chas McCormick on the injured list with a strained left oblique. The Astros recalled utility player Shay Whitcomb to take McCormick's spot on the active roster.

The Astros came into Saturday with a 31-26 record, good for first place in the American League West, ½ game up on the Seattle Mariners.