Friday marked the first day Yordan Alvarez was eligible to be activated off the Astros’ 10-day injured list, but manager Joe Espada instead closed the door on Alvarez’s participation in the team’s final series. Espada told the Houston Chronicle’s Matt Kawahara and other reporters that Alvarez will remain on the IL for the remainder of the regular season, though it is still possible Alvarez could return for the playoffs if Houston makes the bracket.
Should the Astros sneak into the postseason, the first game of their Wild Card Series is set for Tuesday. That would seemingly still allow little time for Alvarez to be game-ready, as he hadn’t yet started any hitting or running drills as of late Wednesday. Espada indicated that Alvarez was showing improvement since Wednesday but “as much as he’s [progressed] the last two or three days, I just don’t think that it would be the best for him to be able to come here and play. We’re just not there.”
Alvarez suffered a left ankle sprain on September 15 while scoring a run in the Astros’ 6-3 win over the Rangers. There was immediate concern that the injury could be season-ending, though Alvarez raised some hope last weekend about the potential of returning for this closing series with the Angels. Given the import of these final two games, it is safe to assume that Alvarez would be playing if he was at all physically able, as his absence creates yet another problem for the struggling Astros.
A 1-6 record in their last seven games has pushed Houston under the playoff line, as the Astros are a game behind the Tigers for the final AL wild card slot. Houston loses tiebreakers to both Detroit and Cleveland, so the Astros will need to win both of their remaining two games and hope that at least one of the Tigers or Guardians lose both their remaining games in order for Houston to reach the playoffs.
Between this ankle sprain and a hand injury that was eventually revealed as a finger fracture, Alvarez played in only 48 games this season. After missing the better part of four months on the IL, Alvarez hit well after returning to action in late August, and brought his season numbers up to .273/.367/.430 and six homers over 199 plate appearances. This 118 wRC+ is respectable, yet a far cry from the spectacular 166 wRC+ Alvarez posted across his first six Major League seasons.
Alvarez’s injury was one of many notable absences faced by the Astros this year, and yet it wasn’t until this past week that the club finally seemed to wilt from such an overloaded IL. To add another setback, Jake Meyers was a late scratch from Friday’s game due to right calf soreness, costing Houston another regular in a 4-3 loss to the Angels.
She won’t return in the postseason either
Just give me something for the pain and let me die…
Cant think of another contemporary hitter with as much talent who hasnt reached full potential yet and is always constantly hurt with never ending injuries year after year season after season game after game day after day night after night 1 thing after another nonstop again and again and again and again
Giancarlo. Very similar career paths so far. Wouldn’t be shocked if Yordan goes off next year and wins an MVP and then spends the rest of his career hurt like Giancarlo did. Both guys are so big and strong but they just don’t have baseball bodies to stay healthy.
Unlike Josh Felids and his baseball bod
The moment this seasom ends-whether it be tomorrow or sometime in October (unlikely at this point)-there needs to be a complete evaluation from the top on down about this organization. I don’t think Dana Brown is the problem but I don’t know if he is the solution. It’s too early to tell for me; he’s been a mixed bag. Espada same deal. He’s a much better manager if his players are healthy, which leads me to the medical staff and this avalanche of injuries. The players themselves I think make up a 90-95 win team if healthy but this team is at a crossroads: are they good enough as constructed to win a title? That’s the question that must be addressed. Are they a few minor tweaks away from being a WS contender or are they a mid 80s win team that’ll just be good enough to not get a high draft choice but not good enough to play meaningful October baseball? Personally, I’m more in the former rather than the latter category but the mariners and A’s aren’t going anywhere. The rangers have a deeper farm than we do and the angels…well they’re never like…awful. But the mariners especially are just a better overall team right now than we are; we need to acknowledge that. With a deeper farm system to boot. They’re a problem. We have money coming off the books with Montero, Presley, Framber, and Jose Abreu cycling off the payroll and LMJ, next offseason. There is money to spend. It needs to be spent wisely. Not on the Christian Walkers, Rafael Monteros and Jose Abreus of the world. That mariners sweep last weekend was a culmination of a lot of bad decisions since winning the WS in 2022. Evaluate. Improve. Be ready in February for ST.
The typical window due to free agency is about six years. The players develop and then start leaving as free agents. As the drafts get weaker due to lower picks, the minor leagues become sparse. Houston lasted quite a bit longer. To now try and place blame on any particular person at this expected outcome seems to indicate a lack of knowledge of how mid to small market teams work. If anything, Houston fans should be looking for someone to thank for the extended run.
I’d argue Houston is not a small market, being the 4th or 5th biggest city in the US.
In no reality is Houston a small- or mid-sized market.
I always thought it was weird how the thinking is “these guys make so much we need to be careful” instead of “why are we paying these guys so much if they’re so fragile”