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Yordan Alvarez

Yordan Alvarez Won’t Return During Regular Season

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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.

Astros Notes: Pena, Alvarez, Rodgers, Polanco

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6:16PM: During the Astros’ pregame radio show, GM Dana Brown said that Pena’s oblique injury “could be just a two-day thing.  It’s minor based on the initial evaluation of it.”  Pena will still get some testing done out of due diligence. (Hat tip to Chandler Rome).

5:40PM: As the Astros head into a critical matchup with the Mariners tonight, Houston will be without one of its key players for at least this game and perhaps beyond.  Jeremy Pena was included in the initial lineup but has now been scratched due to left oblique soreness, according to an announcement from the team.

Needless to say, losing Pena would be devastating to the Astros’ chances of winning the AL West, or even making the postseason given how the standings have narrowed.  The Astros trail Seattle by two games in the division race after losing the first two games of this weekend series, and another loss tonight would put Houston out of the playoff picture entirely, as the surging Guardians would have a matching 84-72 record and the tiebreaker edge.

Because the Astros don’t play on Monday, it provides some extra time to evaluate Pena’s condition.  If it is just a matter of soreness and tonight’s scratch was more of a precautionary move, it’s possible the shortstop could be back in action as soon as Tuesday.  Oblique issues are notoriously hard to project, however, so even if Pena remains short of an actual oblique strain, there might still be enough discomfort that the Astros don’t want to risk putting him into a game.

Pena is having the best of his four Major League seasons, hitting .304/.363/.477 with 17 homers and 20 steals (in 22 attempts) over 543 plate appearances.  Each of those slash categories is a new career high for Pena, and he has also matched his personal best in stolen bases.  Between his big numbers and excellent defense, Pena has been worth 5.7 fWAR this season, even though he missed all of July recovering from a rib fracture.

Injuries have been the biggest problem of Houston’s season, as it is rather remarkable that the Astros are still in the race given how many key players have missed substantial amounts of time.  Yordan Alvarez is one of those figures, as the slugger has been limited to 48 games due to a hand injury that included a finger fracture, and most recently a sprained ankle that sent him back to the IL on September 16.

Alvarez provided media (including the Houston Chronicle’s Matt Kawahara) with an update on his status today, saying that he has yet to begin baseball activities since the inflammation in his ankle hasn’t fully settled.  On the plus side, Alvarez is no longer wearing a protective boot, and he feels he is healing a little quicker than expected.  In the absolutely best case scenario, Alvarez would be eligible to be activated off the IL on Friday, when the Astros visit the Angels in the opener of their final series of the year.

One player who won’t be an option is Brendan Rodgers, as manager Joe Espada confirmed to MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart and other reporters that Rodgers’ season is officially over.  The news is no surprise, as Rodgers hasn’t played in a big league game since June 14.  Initially sidelined by an oblique strain, Rodgers suffered a concussion and a nasal fracture after an on-field collision in his first minor league rehab game in July.  He returned to play one more minors game in August but was then sidelined by back problems.

Signed to a minor league deal in February, Rodgers made the Opening Day roster, and thus locked in a $2MM salary for the 2025 season.  He hit .191/.266/.278 over 128 PA and 43 games before his injuries prematurely ended his season, and Rodgers will surely have to settle for another minor league contract with Houston or another club this winter.

Rodgers was brought aboard to add second base depth due to Jose Altuve’s planned move to left field, and he may have been a fallback plan after Houston missed on signing Jorge Polanco.  The Astros were the runners-up to the Mariners in signing Polanco, as the veteran infielder told Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times that Houston was “very close.  They made a good offer, but Seattle came back with a better offer.”

The Mariners were also given the chance to counter, as Divish writes that Polanco’s agent gave Seattle a last chance to top the Astros’ offer.  The end result was a one-year, $7.75MM guarantee plus a mutual option for 2026 that has now vested into a player option.  Missing out on Polanco might well end up being the difference for the Astros in the AL West race, as Polanco rebounded in a huge way from a lackluster 2024 season to hit .265/.325/.489 with 24 homers for the M’s this year.

Astros Place Yordan Alvarez On Injured List

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The Astros have placed outfielder/designated hitter Yordan Alvarez on the 10-day injured list with a left ankle sprain, per Chandler Rome of The Athletic, retroactive to September 16th. That open an active roster spot for infielder Isaac Paredes. It was reported earlier that Paredes would be reinstated from the 60-day IL. To open a 40-man spot for Paredes, reliever Kaleb Ort has been transferred to the 60-day IL.

Earlier this week, Alvarez slipped on home plate while coming around to score a run against the Rangers, as seen in this video from MLB.com. After the game, manager Joe Espada said Alvarez would be going for an MRI and Alvarez was seen in a walking boot and on crutches. The next day, Espada described the injury as “pretty significant” and that Alvarez would be “out for a while.”

The Astros didn’t initially place Alvarez on the IL as they waited to evaluate his progress, but now have decided to do so. IL placements can be backdated by three days, so Alvarez can be reinstated in a week.

It’s unclear if the injury will actually allow that to be a real possibility, however, making it a situation to watch going forward. Alvarez has been one of the best hitters alive in recent years. He slumped earlier this year but it was later revealed he had an undiagnosed finger fracture. He spent some time on the IL healing up and seemed to be back to his old self once he returned. He slashed .369/.462/.569 in 78 plate appearances between that previous IL stint and this new one.

Losing that kind of bat is obviously less than ideal for the Astros, especially when they are still playing meaningful games. They are tied with the Mariners for the West division lead and the two clubs begin an incredibly important series against each other tonight. If the Astros lose that series and fall back of the M’s, they would still be in possession of a Wild Card spot, but that would put them at risk of missing the playoffs completely. The Guardians are the top team outside the postseason spots right now and they are only 2.5 games back of Houston.

Even if the Astros hang on and make it to October, they will be hamstrung unless Alvarez can make it back. In the event he can return to the club for the final days of the regular season or in the postseason, it could create a bit of a lineup clog. Paredes is coming back after a lengthy injury absence of his own due to a hamstring strain. He has been taking batting practice lately but hasn’t played any rehab games. He’s serving as the designated hitter tonight but it’s unclear if the Astros have any intention of having him play the field in the coming weeks.

Getting Alvarez back to a state of semi-health where he can hit would be great, though it’s less than perfect if both he and Paredes are in that bucket. That would mean one of them would have to sit or be forced into the field each day. Jose Altuve is also ideally suited for a DH role these days since his glovework isn’t great anywhere, but he’ll have to be out there in the field somewhere if Paredes or Alvarez are in the DH spot going forward.

As for Ort, this transfer definitively ends his season. He landed on the 15-day IL in early September due to right elbow inflammation. It was reported shortly thereafter that he wasn’t likely to return during the regular season. This transfer also wipes out any chance of him appearing in the postseason, even if the Astros make a deep run. He finishes the year with a 4.89 earned run average in 46 innings. He can be retained for four more years after this one but is out of options and may be on the roster bubble this winter, given his mediocre results this year and uncertain health status.

Photo courtesy of Erik Williams, Imagn Images

Astros To Activate Isaac Paredes

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The Astros expect to reinstate infielder Isaac Paredes from the injured list prior to tonight’s pivotal series opener against the Mariners, reports Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. The 26-year-old slugger has been out since July 19 due to a significant hamstring strain. He’s on the 60-day injured list, so the ’Stros will need to open a spot on the 40-man roster to make Paredes’ return official.

Paredes, 26, came to Houston as part of the offseason Kyle Tucker blockbuster with the Cubs. His pull-heavy, flyball approach has proven a perfect match with Houston’s Daikin Park. Through his first 94 games and 409 plate appearances as an Astro, the righty-swinging Paredes has slashed .259/.359/.470 with 19 homers. However, while Paredes has performed better at home, it’d be unfair to use his strong season to suggest he’s simply a product of the short left-field porch in Houston. Ten of those 19 round-trippers have come at home, where he’s slashed .253/.360/.483, but Paredes has been nearly as good on the road, hitting .266/.359/.457.

There’s some risk in the accelerated return to the lineup. General manager Dana Brown earlier this week said there was only an “outside chance” that Paredes could return this weekend. He’s taken live batting practice but hasn’t played in a single minor league rehab game. However, Yordan Alvarez recently suffered a significant ankle sprain that’s kept him out of the lineup since Sept. 15 and seems to have relegated him to a bench/pinch-hitting role for the time being. Houston hasn’t placed Alvarez on the injured list, but manager Joe Espada said earlier this week that he’ll be “out for a while” after an MRI revealed the sprain.

Given that ill-timed Alvarez injury, it seems the Astros are rolling the dice on another of their best bats being healthy enough to contribute in a series that could determine the outcome of the AL West. The Astros and Mariners are tied with identical 84-69 records heading into this three-game set in Houston. The deadline reacquisition of Carlos Correa — paired with that Alvarez injury — seems to suggest that Paredes will be a DH option for the time being. Scorching-hot Jeremy Pena will hold things down at shortstop, while Correa will handle a hot corner that had previously been manned by Paredes.

While Paredes does have some limited experience at second base, it’s hard to imagine Houston throwing him into a position he hasn’t played all season at a time when his hamstring likely isn’t 100% healthy. And with Christian Walker entrenched at first base, there aren’t many other options for Paredes beyond designated hitter. That’s probably for the best anyhow, given his murky health status. Paredes and the Astros will square off against a formidable trio of Seattle righties this weekend, taking on Bryan Woo, George Kirby and Logan Gilbert (in that order).

Yordan Alvarez To Miss Time With “Pretty Significant” Ankle Sprain

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September 16: Espada said today that Alvarez has a “pretty significant” injury (via Matt Kawahara of The Houston Chronicle). The manager added that Alvarez would be “out for a while” but would not say whether he’ll be placed on the injured list or provide any further specifics on the timeline.

September 15: The Astros are sending Yordan Alvarez for an MRI on his left ankle, manager Joe Espada said postgame (via Space City’s Julia Morales). Houston’s star slugger gingerly exited tonight’s win over Texas in the first inning after hurting his ankle scoring a run. The club announced a few innings later that he was diagnosed with an ankle sprain. Chandler Rome of The Athletic observed that Alvarez was on crutches and in a walking boot in the clubhouse after the game.

Alvarez missed the bulk of the season with a small fracture in his right hand. He was out between the start of May and the final week of August. The three-time All-Star had started the year slowly but has raked since his return from the injured list. He’s hitting .369 with a trio of home runs in 18 games over the past three weeks. Alvarez has been in vintage form and is back as one of the team’s lineup anchors as they vie for a playoff spot.

The Astros have used Alvarez more frequently than they wanted in left field. That gave Jose Altuve more at-bats at designated hitter, though he’s been back at second base for the past few games. Victor Caratini stepped in at DH tonight. Alvarez’s exit pushed Jesús Sánchez from right to left field. Rookie Zach Cole came off the bench to play right field. Cole picked up a pair of hits and his second MLB home run in his first four games.

Cole would probably see an uptick in playing time in the corner outfield if Alvarez requires another injured list stint. Altuve could also see mostly everyday DH work with Mauricio Dubón stepping in as a defensive upgrade at second base.

Astros Reinstate Yordan Alvarez From Injured List

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Air Yordan is back. The Astros announced today that outfielder/designated hitter Yordan Alvarez has been reinstated from the 60-day injured list. They had an open 40-man roster spot due to right-hander Shawn Dubin getting designated for assignment earlier this week. The Astros optioned infielder Brice Matthews to Triple-A to open an active roster spot.

The return of Alvarez is potentially a huge boost for the Astros down the stretch, as he is one of the most potent hitters in baseball when he’s at his best. He came into this year with 164 home runs and a .298/.390/.583 slash line, which translates to a 166 wRC+.

He has not been that guy in 2025. He hit .210/.306/.340 through 121 plate appearances before landing on the 15-day IL in early May. The club listed his injury as right hand inflammation. Later that month, it was thought that he was nearing a return but then the club found a fracture in the ring finger of that right hand.

Setbacks with that hand issue prevented him from starting a rehab assignment until a few days ago. He recently played in four Double-A games, stepping to the plate 17 times with no home runs but a huge .467/.529/.733 slash line.

That rehab performance is obviously encouraging but Alvarez will likely remain something of a wild card until he gets back on track at the big league level. Getting peak Alvarez back would obviously be tremendous for the Astros but it’s unclear if that’s possible. Houston is trying to hold off Seattle in the West, currently holding to a lead of 1.5 games, and will obviously welcome all the help it can get.

He is in tonight’s lineup and playing left field, alongside center fielder Jacob Melton and right fielder Jesús Sánchez. Lately, Jose Altuve has been seeing a lot of time in the designated hitter slot and is in there again tonight. It’s possible that guys like Cam Smith, Chas McCormick and Mauricio Dubón see a bit less playing time now. Dubon can also play second and is at the keystone tonight, though Ramón Urías is also a factor there, as well as Altuve.

Photo courtesy of Troy Taormina, Imagn Images

Yordan Alvarez Set To Begin Minor League Rehab Assignment

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After more than three and a half months on the injured list, Yordan Alvarez looks to be approaching a return.  Astros manager Joe Espada told the Houston Chronicle’s Matt Kawahara and other reporters that Alvarez is slated to begin a rehab assignment at Double-A Corpus Christi on Tuesday.  GM Dana Brown gave a few more details during a pregame radio interview, saying that the plan is for Alvarez to play Tuesday and then again on Thursday and Friday after a rest and examination day on Wednesday.

August 26 is the most probable day for Alvarez’s activation from the IL, when the Astros begin a home series against the Rockies.  Brown suggested that if Alvarez is feeling good after his initial three Double-A games, the slugger could be activated on Saturday when the Astros are in Baltimore, but naturally the team will proceed with caution given how Alvarez’s recovery process has already been filled with stops and starts.

Hand problems have bothered Alvarez in the past, so there was some trepidation that his initial IL placement due to hand inflammation in early May might go well beyond the minimum 10 days.  While Alvarez had advanced to taking live batting practice by the end the month, the situation took another turn when he felt some more soreness in his right hand, and a follow-up MRI revealed a slight fracture in his right ring finger.  More soreness in early July necessitated a move to the 60-day IL, and Kawahara writes that Alvarez also received two injections to deal with the inflammation.

Alvarez was able to restart his hitting progression and Espada said the three-time All-Star faced live pitching yesterday at the Astros’ Spring Training complex.  This was enough for the club to finally greenlight a proper rehab assignment.

2025 has been something of a lost year entirely for Alvarez, as he was hitting only .210/.306/.340 over his first 121 plate appearances before heading to the IL.  Alvarez has a history of relatively slow starts, so while these numbers were well below his career .838 OPS in March and April, there wasn’t much doubt that he’d eventually get on track with his usual level of elite slugging.  The Astros can only hope that Alvarez is able to return without needing much time to round into form, as every game is critical in the playoff race.

Given how Houston has been without Alvarez for most of the season and has dealt with a wealth of other injuries to multiple key players, it is somewhat remarkable that the Astros are still 69-55 and in first place in the AL West.  A once-sizable division lead has dwindled to just a single game, however, since the Mariners are surging and the Astros are only 14-20 in their last 34 games.

Astros Select Zack Short

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The Astros today have selected the contract of infielder Zack Short. He takes the active roster spot of fellow infielder Luis Guillorme, who has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a right hamstring strain. Outfielder/designated hitter Yordan Alvarez has been transferred to the 60-day IL to open a 40-man spot for Short. Chandler Rome of The Athletic was among those to relay the moves.

Short, 30, signed a minor league deal with the Astros in the offseason. He didn’t make the club out of camp and has been playing for Triple-A Sugar Land this year. He has stepped to the plate 320 times for the Space Cowboys with a strong 17.5% walk rate and 12 home runs. He’s been held back by a .239 batting average on balls in play, however, leading to a .211/.356/.402 line and 103 wRC+.

In the past few weeks, the Astros have lost infielders Jeremy Peña, Brendan Rodgers and Zach Dezenzo to the injured list. That got Guillorme called up to the majors to serve a depth infielder role. Now that Guillorme is following those others to the IL, Short will get a return to the big leagues.

Short has appeared in 221 major league games in his career, mostly with the Tigers. He bounced around to the three infield positions to the left of first base and also had some brief time in the outfield, but hit just .167/.269/.287. He has hit better on the farm, with a .222/.360/.388 line and 105 wRC+ since the minors were cancelled in 2020.

As for Alvarez, his move is simply procedural and doesn’t change anything about his timeline. He was placed on the 10-day IL on May 3rd due to right hand inflammation. His 60-day count is retroactive to that date, so it’s already been 60 days. In other words, he’s eligible for reinstatement at any point. It’s unclear when he will realistically be able to return, however. It was eventually discovered that he has a fracture in his ring finger. It was reported yesterday that he’s still experiencing soreness and will be seeing a specialist to determine his next steps.

Photo courtesy of Reinhold Matay, Imagn Images

Yordan Alvarez Shut Down Due To Setback With Hand Injury

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Astros outfielder/designated hitter Yordan Alvarez seems to have hit another speed bump. General manager Dana Brown informed reporters, including Chandler Rome of The Athletic, that Alvarez has been shut down due to some renewed hand soreness. He will see a specialist at some point in the next 48 hours, at which point the club hopes to have more information.

At this point, details are still fairly sparse regarding Alvarez, though it’s an ominous development. Hand issues have been an ongoing problem for him. He had soreness in both hands in 2022 and spent some time on the injured list. Hand soreness also seemingly hampered him during spring training in 2023.

This year, he got out to a bad start, hitting .210/.306/.340 for a 76 wRC+ through 29 games. He landed on the 15-day injured list in early May due to right hand inflammation. At the end of May, Brown relayed that the club found a “very small fracture” in the ring finger of Alvarez’s right hand. He has been ramping up activities in recent days but this renewed soreness obviously creates concern that he’s not fully healed.

Time will tell how serious this setback is but it’s less than ideal for the Astros. Alvarez has been a key part of their lineup and one of the best hitters in baseball during his career. He came into this season with a .298/.390/.583 batting line and 166 wRC+. Only Aaron Judge had a higher wRC+ for the 2019-2024 span, among hitters with at least 60 plate appearances.

The Astros would obviously love to have that bat back in the lineup. That’s especially true because he is left-handed and the club is notably deficient in that department. The Astros don’t really have a pure lefty in their everyday lineup. Switch-hitters Victor Caratini and Cooper Hummel are getting regular playing time. The three pure lefties on the active roster at present are all bench players: Taylor Trammell, César Salazar and Luis Guillorme.

Putting aside handedness, this also compounds a more general injury problem for the Astros. They have over a dozen players on the IL, including seven position players. They recently lost their starting shortstop when Jeremy Peña hit the IL last week with a rib fracture.

Despite the all of those injuries, the Astros are 50-34. They are six games up in the American League West and will clearly be buying at the deadline. Brown already openly admitted that the club is looking for lefty bats. That need would only grow if this setback for Alvarez turns out to be significant. The club seems to be planning to avoid the competitive balance tax this year, which will be a challenge in making additions. RosterResource estimates the club’s CBT number is at $236MM, just $5MM from the base threshold.

Photo courtesy of Troy Taormina, Imagn Images

Astros Interested In Cedric Mullins

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Astros general manager Dana Brown has been open about his desire to add some left-handed hitting to Houston’s predominantly righty-swinging lineup, and it isn’t any surprise that the club reportedly has some interest in a player who may be one of the deadline’s most intriguing rental bats.  USA Today’s Bob Nightengale writes that the Astros have “eyes on Orioles center fielder Cedric Mullins,” but didn’t elaborate as to whether or not Houston is just considering Mullins at this point, or if any exploratory talks have taken place between the Astros and Orioles front offices.

The 30-year-old Mullins is hitting .213/.295/.413 with 12 homers over 272 plate appearances this season, translating to an almost exactly average 101 wRC+.  Much of his success came in the first four weeks, as Mullins had an outstanding .983 OPS over his first 111 plate appearances of 2025, but he then sputtered to a .161/.197/.329 slash line (for a .526 OPS) in his next 158 trips to the plate.  He also had a minimal stint on the 10-day IL due to a hamstring strain right at the end of May and into the start of June, but Mullins’ fortunes didn’t improve after returning to action.

Apart from his respectable whiff and walk rates, Mullins’ Statcast numbers are otherwise a sea of blue, speaking to his struggles over the last two months.  His 25.7% strikeout rate is particularly troublesome, as it is easily the highest of his eight MLB seasons.  Mullins’ 55.4% fly ball rate is also a career high and his .202 Isolated Power number is the second-highest of his career, so while his apparent change in approach to seek out more power is keeping his wRC+ afloat, it is hampering his overall productivity at the plate.

With a modest career 107 wRC+ entering 2025, Mullins’ value has only been partially tied to his bat.  He stole 115 bases in 143 attempts in 2021-24, though Mullins is only 8-for-10 so far in 2025.  Public defensive metrics have generally been mixed on his center field glovework, and this season has had one of the biggest splits of opinion yet — the Outs Above Aveerage metrics puts Mullins at +1 for his 550 1/3 innings in center, while Defensive Runs Saved has him at a dismal -15.

Since Jake Meyers is one of the game’s better defensive center fielders, the Astros almost certainly wouldn’t be using Mullins up the middle anyway.  Rookie Cam Smith has made a very solid accounting for himself in his first MLB season, so left field would be the likeliest landing spot if Mullins did indeed end up in Houston.  The chain reaction here would probably send Jose Altuve back to his old second base spot on a full-time basis, as Altuve’s glove hasn’t adjusted well to the move to left field this season.

About half of Mullins’ $8.725MM salary for the season has already been paid out, and he’d have about $2.8MM remaining if dealt directly on the July 31 deadline day.  It is an open secret that Houston is trying to stay under the $241MM luxury tax threshold, so adding Mullins’ relatively modest salary would still be a fit even within the team’s relatively narrow financial window.  RosterResource projects the Astros’ current tax number at around $235.5MM, which gives the club some (but not much) space for deadline additions.

Mullins’ low salary will likely get him attention from several teams heading into the deadline, even despite his unimpressive numbers over the last two months.  Multiple clubs could be looking at his past track record rather than his most immediate results, and the “change of scenery” factor might also come into play.

It stands to reason that the Astros may wait until later into July to pull the trigger on any big deals, as the team might want more clarity on the status of Yordan Alvarez and other injured players before deciding on any lineup upgrades.  Alvarez has missed almost two months due to a hand injury that was eventually diagnosed as a fracture, but manager Joe Espada told reporters (including The Houston Chronicle’s Matt Kawahara) that Alvarez will be facing live pitching at the Astros’ minor league facility this week.  Outfielder Chas McCormick will also join Alvarez in the assignment, as McCormick has missed the last month recovering from an oblique strain.

The Orioles’ win over the Rays today boosted their record to 36-47, and Baltimore has now gone 21-19 since Tony Mansolino took over from Brandon Hyde as manager.  GM Mike Elias took a candid assessment of his club’s situation in comments with reporters yesterday, and said that the Orioles are preparing at the moment to be both buyers and sellers, and a clearer decision will be made as July develops.

This could mean that Mullins and other impending free agents will be natural trade candidates in the lead-up to July 31.  Even if the O’s do manage to claw their way back into the pennant race, Mullins might still get moved in order to address another roster need, akin to how Baltimore dealt Austin Hays (also in his last year of team control) to the Phillies prior to last year’s deadline.  Mullins’ struggles haven’t done much to help his trade value, of course, nor his chances of landing a solid multi-year contract as a free agent this winter.

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