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The Houston Astros' lineup has done well to tread water so far this season. While the Astros' pitching staff has been great, but the offense has struggled to live up to the standards that previous Astros lineups have set. One of the biggest culprits has been Yordan Alvarez. The Astros slugger hasn't been himself and perhaps the injury emerging from the Houston's clubhouse on Monday reveals why. The Astros placed Alvarez on the 10-day IL with a hand injury.
Through 121 plate appearances this season, Alvarez owns a rather unimpressive .210/.306/.340 slash line which is well below what fans have come to expect. To make matters worse, a hand injury caused Alvarez to be scratched during the Astros weekend series against the Chicago White Sox. There was optimism initially that he would avoid an IL stint, but that clearly didn't work out.
Struggling slugger Yordan Alvarez is heading to IL, and it could be a blessing in disguise for the Astros
In a corresponding roster move, Houston recalled Cesar Salazar, the Astros' third-string catcher. This move makes loads of sense. With Alvarez out, there is a strong possibility that both Yainer Diaz and Victor Caratini will be seeing a lot more time in lineups as Houston's designated hitter.
We have made the following roster move. pic.twitter.com/g9Mbgp7A2U
— Houston Astros (@astros) May 5, 2025
As for Alvarez, there could be a silver lining here. While no injury is "good" news, Alvarez hasn't been hitting at all, and receiving some time away to get healthy could serve as a bit of a reset for the Astros slugger. The injury isn't the sole reason for Alvarez's struggles, but having time away to investigate what's caused his slump and trying to improve upon that area of his game could be exactly what he needed.
Alvarez's hand injury isn't considered to be a major problem, and there's hope he'll miss just the minimum of 10 days. Since Alvarez was out of the Astros lineup the past two days, the IL still is retro to May 3. Fans should expect Alvarez to get right back in the lineup as soon as he is eligible or close to it. But if this injury lingers, the Astros could be in big trouble without their perennial MVP candidate.