Astros’ Alvarez has significant sprain, out ‘a while’
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Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez has a “pretty significant” left ankle sprain and will be out of the lineup indefinitely as Houston battles for a division title and an American League playoff spot as the season winds down, manager Joe Espada said Tuesday.
Espada would not give a timetable for the return of Alvarez, who continues to be on the active roster.
“This is going to keep him out for a while,” Espada said. “Let’s not get into days, weeks, any of that. We are going to take one day at a time, but this is going to take some time to heal.”
Alvarez, who underwent an MRI on Tuesday, suffered the injury while crossing home plate during Monday’s victory against the Texas Rangers. He was seen leaving the Astros clubhouse on a crutch and with a boot on his left foot.
The three-time All-Star appeared to slip as he crossed the plate in the first inning, scoring from first base on a throwing error by Rangers pitcher Jack Leiter on Carlos Correa‘s infield single. Alvarez was tended to by an athletic trainer outside the Astros’ dugout and then helped down the steps.
Espada refused to say if the team planned to place Alvarez on the injured list.
“One day at a time,” Espada said. “I’m not going to give you days, weeks, what we’re going to do next. You’re just going to have to sit down and wait.”
Alvarez is batting .273 with six home runs and 27 RBIs but has been limited to 48 games because of a fractured right hand that forced him to sit out 101 games.
Entering Tuesday, Houston is a half-game behind the Seattle Mariners in the AL West. The Astros are three games ahead of Cleveland Guardians and Texas for the final AL wild-card spot.
“We need him in there, but those are the things that we can’t control,” Espada said of Alvarez. “It’s a freak accident that happens on a baseball field and that’s not what we need right now. But we do have guys here that understand the situation that we’re in. We’ve got talent. We’ve got guys that want it. We’ve got guys that can fight and get us through this stretch.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
