Manager Joe Espada said Sunday that Alvarez is improving every day but is still feeling the muscle strain in his right hand that landed him on the injured list May 5, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
The 27-year-old was initially expected to be activated when first eligible early last week, but he's been unable to completely move past the hand injury to this point. Espada indicated the Astros want to make sure the issue "completely goes away" before bringing Alvarez back, so it sounds as though the organization is taking a cautious approach. Prior to the landing on the shelf, Alvarez had yet to look much like himself in 2025 with just three homers and a .646 OPS through 29 games.
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Astros' Yordan Alvarez: Remains out
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Alvarez (hand) is still "a few days away" from returning to the lineup, Matt Kawahara reports.
Alvarez hit in the cage again Thursday, and manager Joe Espada relayed that everything went according to plan. It appears that Alvarez will return at some point during Houston's weekend series, but he remained out of the lineup Thursday against the Rangers.
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Astros' Yordan Alvarez: Will not be activated Tuesday
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Astros manager Joe Espada confirmed that Alvarez (hand) will not be activated from the 10-day injured list when first eligible Tuesday, Matt Thomas of SportsTalk 790 in Houston reports.
Espada did say that he expected Alvarez back soon, and indications are that it will likely be for the start of the team's series in Texas against the Rangers on Thursday. Alvarez is coming back from a right hand muscle strain and resumed hitting in the batting cage Monday.
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Astros' Yordan Alvarez: Hits in batting cage Monday
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Alvarez (hand) hit in the batting cage prior to Monday's game against the Royals, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Alvarez is eligible for activation from the 10-day injured list Tuesday, and while a return that day has not been ruled out, it's looking like he has a better shot to be activated Thursday when the Astros begin a road trip. The slugger is working his way back from a right hand muscle strain.
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Astros' Yordan Alvarez: Could resume tee work Monday
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Alvarez (hand) has been cleared to grip a bat and could start hitting off a tee Monday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
It's progress for Alvarez, who was placed on the injured list Monday due to a right hand muscle strain. He's first eligible to come off the injured list Tuesday, but he'll likely need to take dry swings without issue before the Astros activate him. According to McTaggart, Alvarez could be reinstated prior to a series against the Rangers that begins Thursday, so the Astros seem to have some optimism that the slugger will return within the week.
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Astros' Yordan Alvarez: Still not swinging bat
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Alvarez (hand) is feeling better Saturday but has not resumed swinging a bat, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Alvarez has been on the injured list since May 5 due to a muscle strain in his hand. He's eligible to return Tuesday, though this update suggests that he'll almost certainly be sidelined beyond the 10-day minimum.
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Astros' Yordan Alvarez: Dealing with muscle strain in hand
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Astros manager Joe Espada said Wednesday that Alvarez has been diagnosed with a muscle strain on the top of his right hand and is hoping to be activated from the 10-day injured list when first eligible May 13, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Alvarez needs a bit of rest, but the goal is for him to rejoin the Astros early next week for the second game of a three-game set against the Royals. Jose Altuve has made two starts at designated hitter and Yainer Diaz has been in the DH spot once since Alvarez was placed on the IL on Monday.
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Astros' Yordan Alvarez: Goes on IL with hand inflammation
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The Astros placed Alvarez on the 10-day injured list Monday with right hand inflammation, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Alvarez had missed the previous two games with the injury, and while manager Joe Espada had indicated imaging on Alvarez's hand wouldn't be necessary, the designed hitter is now on his way back to Houston to have the hand checked out. The 27-year-old Alvarez dealt with nagging right hand inflammation a couple years ago, but it's not clear whether this latest injury is viewed as a recurrence. Jose Altuve will serve as the designated hitter for the Astros on Monday in Milwaukee, and Yainer Diaz and/or Zach Dezenzo will also likely see increased action at DH while Alvarez is out.
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Astros' Yordan Alvarez: Improving, sitting again Sunday
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Alvarez (hand) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the White Sox, though manager Joe Espada said the slugger is feeling better and isn't expected to require medical imaging, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Alvarez was scratched from Saturday's starting nine due to inflammation in his right hand, and he'll sit for a second consecutive game in Chicago. The 27-year-old doesn't appear to be dealing with a serious injury, though the fact medical imaging hasn't been completely ruled out could indicate Alvarez will miss another game or two after Sunday.
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Astros' Yordan Alvarez: Scratched Saturday
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Alvarez was scratched from the lineup ahead of Saturday's game against the White Sox due to inflammation in his right hand, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Alvarez said his hand didn't feel right after hitting in the cages before the game, so the Astros will hold him out of action Saturday. The team will presumably take him in for imaging to see if he's dealing with any structural damage, and an update on his status should come in the near future. In the meantime, Victor Caratini will fill in as Houston's designated hitter and bat sixth.
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Astros' Yordan Alvarez: Grabbing seat Wednesday
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Alvarez is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Tigers.
Alvarez exited Monday's game with an undisclosed injury but was back in the lineup Tuesday, so this appears to simply be a routine day off. Jose Altuve is in the designated hitter spot Wednesday, while Zach Dezenzo will handle left field and bat eighth.
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Astros' Yordan Alvarez: Back in lineup Tuesday
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Alvarez (undisclosed) will start at designated hitter and bat third in Tuesday's game versus the Tigers.
Alvarez was pulled from Monday's game with an undisclosed injury after hitting a single in the bottom of the seventh inning. Whatever he was dealing with evidently was not a big deal, as he will not have to miss any starts.
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Astros' Yordan Alvarez: Exits early Monday
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Alvarez was removed from Monday's game against the Tigers after hitting a single in the bottom of the seventh inning, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Rome notes that Alvarez appeared to be in discomfort after sliding into second base earlier in the game, and the club made the decision to pull the slugger following his next at-bat. It's unclear if this was a precautionary move given the 8-3 lead late in the game, but Houston should have more information to share after evaluating Alvarez further.
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Astros' Yordan Alvarez: Homers in win
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Alvarez went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run, a double and a walk in Sunday's 7-3 win over the Royals.
Alvarez doubled in the first inning and then gave the Astros a lead they wouldn't relinquish with a 436-foot blast to center field in the third. It marked the 27-year-old's first game with multiple extra-base hits this season and his first two-hit effort since April 11. On the year, he's slashing .213/.312/.360 with three homers, 16 RBI, six runs scored and a steal across 109 plate appearances.
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Astros' Yordan Alvarez: Sitting out day game
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Alvarez is not in the lineup for Wednesday's contest in St. Louis.
Alvarez homered in Tuesday's victory over the Cardinals but will get some rest for Wednesday's matinee. Jose Altuve is in the designated hitter spot for the series finale, while Chas McCormick will play left field.
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Astros' Yordan Alvarez: Continues to heat up with solo shot
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Alvarez went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Tuesday against the Cardinals.
Alvarez crushed a 419-foot blast to deep center field in the eighth inning, tacking on an insurance run to give the Astros a 2-0 lead. While Alvarez got off to a dreadful start to the year, he's certainly beginning to pick up some steam lately. Over his last nine outings, the All-Star slugger is hitting .310 (9-for-29) with two homers, six RBI, seven walks and one stolen base.
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Astros' Yordan Alvarez: Launches clutch homer
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Alvarez went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and three RBI in Sunday's 9-7 extra-inning win over the Twins.
Alvarez delivered the first run of the game for Houston in the top of the first inning, driving in Jose Altuve from third base on a sacrifice fly. The 27-year-old later added a single in the top of the fifth before launching a game-tying two-run homer in the ninth, knotting the game up at 7-7. The home run was Alvarez's first of the season, and he's now batting .182 with the long ball, seven RBI, four walks and 11 strikeouts over 33 at-bats in nine games.
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Astros' Yordan Alvarez: Snaps out of slump
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Alvarez went 2-for-4 with a walk and two RBI on Wednesday against the Giants.
Alvarez had only one hit across his first 16 at-bats of the season, but he broke through with a two-RBI single in the fifth inning. While not an ideal start the season, Alvarez has posted an OPS over .950 in three consecutive campaigns, so there is little reason for concern.
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Astros' Yordan Alvarez: Early slump continues in loss
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Alvarez went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in Tuesday's 3-1 loss to the Giants.
It's been an icy start at the plate for Alvarez, who has a lone hit in 16 at-bats with two RBI and three walks in five games. Alvarez also went just 5-for-34 (.147) with one home run during spring training, but fantasy managers should expect the star slugger to get going at the dish soon. Alvarez has hit at least .293 and reached the 30-homer mark in each of the past three years.
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Astros' Yordan Alvarez: To man third spot in order
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Alvarez will hit out of the third spot in the batting order to begin the 2025 regular season, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Alvarez is no stranger to batting third in the order, having held down the No. 3 spot a total of 93 times a season ago (70 times against right-hander pitchers). This will allow Houston to slide Isaac Paredes into the second spot with the hope that he can get on base for Alvarez to drive in more runs. The slugger had a slightly down year in 2024 by his standards, finishing with 86 RBI after two straight seasons of driving in 97 runs.
