Astros' Yordan Alvarez: Given two injections for hand issue
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Alvarez was administered two injections in his right hand after a hand specialist determined Wednesday that the Alvarez is dealing with inflammation, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Alvarez experienced renewed soreness in the hand Tuesday after ramping up baseball activities, prompting a visit to the specialist. Additional imaging revealed that the main cause of the discomfort is inflammation, and the previously discovered fracture is a non-factor in Alvarez's soreness. Alvarez will be shut down for a few days before being re-evaluated. While the latest news is about as good as Alvarez and the Astros could have hoped for, there is no timetable for the resumption of his hitting progression or for his return to the active roster.
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Astros' Yordan Alvarez: Moved to 60-day IL
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The Astros transferred Alvarez (hand) from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL Wednesday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Alvarez hasn't played for the Astros since May 3 and doesn't look on track to return until after the All-Star break after suffering a setback with his fractured right hand while swinging the bat earlier this week, so his move to the 60-day is merely procedural. The transaction frees up a spot on the 40-man roster for infielder Zack Short, whose contract was selected from Triple-A Sugar Land. Alvarez is scheduled to visit a hand specialist within the next few days, after which the Astros may have an update regarding when he might be ready to resume his hitting progression.
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Astros' Yordan Alvarez: Suffers setback
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Alvarez was shut down from all activities after reporting renewed soreness in his hand while taking swings Monday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Alvarez's fractured right hand has kept him on the injured list since early May. He seemed to be closing in on a return -- potentially as soon as this weekend -- but his setback throws a wrench in the Astros' plans. The 28-year-old slugger is due to visit a specialist within the next couple of days, at which point the team will know more regarding his status and how far away he may be from activation.
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Astros' Yordan Alvarez: Closing in on return
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Astros general manager Dana Brown said Sunday that Alvarez (hand) has a chance to return from the 10-day injured list for next weekend's series against the Dodgers, though Brown added that is "not the most likely scenario," Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Alvarez has been ramping up his swinging recently and will report to the Astros' spring facility in Florida this week to face live pitching, per Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. The veteran slugger appears to be closing in on his return from the IL, with next weekend's three-game series in Los Angeles being an unlikely best-case scenario for his activation.
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Astros' Yordan Alvarez: Increasing activity
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Alvarez (hand) took 25 swings in the batting cage Saturday and is scheduled to do so again Sunday, MLB.com reports.
Alvarez first resumed swinging June 24 and has been sidelined since early May. He is likely to need a rehab assignment but is hoping to return before the All-Star break.
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Astros' Yordan Alvarez: Resumes swinging bat
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Alvarez (hand) hit off a tee Sunday and is scheduled to do so again Tuesday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
It's the first time he's swung a bat since an MRI on his right hand in late May revealed a previously undiagnosed fracture. Alvarez has been shelved since early May and will need to go through a hitting progression and likely a rehab assignment before returning to the Astros' active roster.
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Astros' Yordan Alvarez: No progress
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Manager Joe Espada said Thursday Alvarez (hand) still hasn't started hitting, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Alvarez originally landed on the shelf May 3 due to inflammation in his right hand, but he was diagnosed with a fracture in late May while dealing with lingering discomfort. The fracture was labeled about 60 percent healed when discovered, and he won't return to hitting until it's fully healed. Alvarez's return timeline is likely to remain murky until he's able to ramp up his activities.
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Astros' Yordan Alvarez: Still not hitting
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Alvarez (hand) hasn't started hitting, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reported Friday.
An MRI on May 30 revealed Alvarez had a fracture in his right hand, and the Astros decided to shut him down from hitting until the injury was fully healed. Given Friday's news, the fracture hasn't healed yet. A timeline for return hasn't been established, but Houston could elect to keep him out until after its nine-game road trip -- which starts Monday -- ends.
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Astros' Yordan Alvarez: Fracture revealed
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Alvarez (hand) had imaging done following Friday's batting practice session that revealed a fracture that is 60 percent healed, Julia Morales of AT&T SportsNet Southwest reports. He will be shut down from hitting until the fracture is fully healed.
Even though the batting practice session appeared to go well, Alvarez felt some discomfort that led to the examination. Morales reported that previously they didn't see the fracture due to the inflammation in Alvarez's hand. He appeared close to making his return from the injured list, but the veteran slugger now seems likely to be sidelined for at least a couple more weeks.
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Astros' Yordan Alvarez: Not ready Friday
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Alvarez (hand) is not in Friday's lineup against the Rays.
Despite a ballyhooed batting practice session ahead of Friday's contest, it doesn't appear Alvarez will be activated Friday. Zach Dezenzo is starting at designated hitter and batting eighth.
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Astros' Yordan Alvarez: Return timeline still cloudy
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Manager Joe Espada said Sunday that Alvarez (hand) is taking part in all baseball activities, but the skipper said he won't "put a specific game or day" for the slugger being activated from the injured list, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
The 27-year-old slugger appears to be in the final stages of his recovery from a hand strain given that he's ramped up his workouts over the past few days, but the Astros aren't tipping their hand on when he may rejoin the active roster. Alvarez has been sidelined by the injury for the past three weeks, though he may not require a minor-league rehab assignment before being reinstated.
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Astros' Yordan Alvarez: Progressing through injury
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Alvarez (hand) hit off a pitching machine in the batting cage and participated in baseball drills on the field Friday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Alvarez has been on the 10-day injured list since May 5 due to right hand inflammation. The recovery time has taken longer than initially hoped, and there's no clear timeline for his return, but Alvarez may not need a rehab assignment before being reinstated from the IL. He was slashing .210/.306/.340 with one steal, three home runs and 18 RBI in 121 plate appearances prior to his injury.
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Astros' Yordan Alvarez: Hand issue lingering
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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: 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: 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.
