The Houston Astros are sitting in first place in the AL West entering MLB games today despite a myriad of injuries, including a lengthy absence for Yordan Alvarez and the recent loss of Josh Hader . With the playoff race heating up, Houston is hoping it gets some reinforcements soon.
Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports that Alvarez will begin a minor-league rehab assignment on Tuesday with Double-A Corpus Christi. He'll serve as a designated hitter in his first rehab game back, and the club plans to have him down for "a few games" before he can be activated off the injured list.
Related: Houston Astros Game Today, Astros Schedule 2025
Yordan Alvarez stats ( ESPN ):.210/.306/.340, .648 OPS, 3 home runs, 18 RBI in 100 ABs
The tentative plan, per Astros general manager Dana Brown, has Alvarez making his first rehab appearance on Tuesday and then getting a day off on Wednesday. If there are no issues, he'll play in consecutive games for Corpus Christi on Thursday and Friday. In an absolute best-case scenario, the All-Star hitter would rejoin the Astros lineup for the weekend series against the Baltimore Orioles . However, the likelier return is for the three-game home series against the Colorado Rockies that begins on Tuesday, Aug. 26.
Alvarez last played on May 2 against the Chicago White Sox . The 28-year-old was in the midst of a career-worst season at the plate, stemming from recurring hand and wrist issues. He was later diagnosed with a right-hand fracture. If he can return to form, the Astros lineup adds a much-needed left-handed hitter who posted a .303/.401/.587 triple-slash line with a .988 OPS, 280 RBI, and 103 home runs from 2022-24.
Josh Hader stats ( ESPN ):2.05 ERA< 0.85 WHIP, 76-16 K-BB, .574 OPS allowed with 28 saves in 52.2 innings pitched
Hader will be sidelined much longer. The 31-year-old closer landed on the 15-day injured list this past week with a shoulder injury. Houston announced he was diagnosed with a capsule sprain in his left shoulder. Speaking to reporters over the weekend, Hader indicated that he will miss the remainder of the regular season but hopes to return for the MLB playoffs. After being shut down for three weeks, he'll need at least three weeks to build up his arm strength and stamina, so early October is the best-case scenario for his return.
All of this comes at a time when Houston's lead in the AL West over the Seattle Mariners has narrowed over the summer. The Astros entered the All-Star break five games up on the Mariners. Since that time, Houston is 13-15 and Seattle is 17-12. In August, the Mariners have gained three games over the Astros.
Houston is also hoping to get starting pitchers Lance McCullers Jr (finger) and Luis Garcia (elbow) back in the next two weeks.
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