MILWAUKEE – Already mired in an inconsistent offensive departure, the Houston Astros placed the name designated Yordan Alvarez on the injured list on Monday with what they described as an inflammation of the right hand.
Alvarez returned to Houston on Monday afternoon to visit the team’s doctors and undergo imagery, said manager Joe Espada. Although Espada said that Alvarez felt “better” on Monday, the team has chosen to place it on the injured list to “do things correctly”.
“This guy was such a good striker and with the way he uses his hands, we must simply make sure that he is not extended and comes to a point where a long period is missing,” said Espada.
Alvarez missed the last two games of the Houston series against the White Sox of Chicago with hand disease. He was in the original Astros programming on Saturday, but was scratched after feeling a certain discomfort by hitting the shot cage.
Espada acknowledged on Saturday that Alvarez had treated with pain in hand before being striped, but we don’t know what caused the injury. Alvarez missed time in July 2022 with a hand injury too, but Espada said on Monday that this pain was in “a different place”.
Alvarez has just ended one of the worst months of his career in major leagues, sporting a .670 OPS through the 117 appearances in April. His only worst full month arrived in August 2022, when he had an OPS .638. Alvarez finished third in 2022 MVP of the American League after finishing this season with 37 circuits and an OPS of 1.019.
Alvarez has only seven additional strokes, including three circuits, a main reason for the power failure at the start of the Houston season. Alvarez attracted on April 27 against the Royals of Kansas City, crushing a 436 feet missile which almost landed in the fountains of the Kauffman Stadium.
Nothing since then seemed normal, which caused obvious questions about the health of Alvarez.
“Maybe that has something to do with the hand,” said Espada. “I’m not going to speak for Yordan. I just know that he was not the guy. (In) Kansas City, he strikes a ball at 400 and something and then does not feel comfortable. We want to make sure that he feels comfortable and he is back 100% and keep him in the alignment for a long term.”
The Astros saved Alvarez’s passage on the list of injured on May 3, which means that as soon as he could return is May 12, when Houston opens a series of three games against the Royals at Daikin Park.
Losing Alvarez for a certain time is paralyzing for an Astros offense which entered the Monday match against the Brewers who hit 0.370 with only 29 circuits.
The Astros called the third recipient César Salazar of Triple-A Sugar Land to take the place of Alvarez on the active list, allowing Espada Freedom to play both Yaineer Diaz and Victor Caratini in the same programming.
Caratini could take part of the designed Alvarez at-bats strikers leave, just like Zach Dezenzo, who is also looming as a new main left field player behind Jose Altuve.
(Photo: Alex Slitz / Getty Images)
