Yordan Alvarez's injury could be key to Astros' unenviable trade deadline choice

The Houston Astros have finally started to feel the effects of all of their injuries piling up. Houston has only won two of their last nine games, and their once-impressive lead in the AL West has diminished significantly. The Astros need to make some real moves at the MLB trade deadline, but the ongoing Yordan Alvarez injury saga threatens to derail that plan.

Alvarez could return relatively soon, and being that he's one of the best left-handed hitters in baseball, would lessen Houston's need to add another bat at the deadline. However, despite the news that Alvarez is swinging a bat again, there is no guarantee that his status will be resolved by the July 31 deadline, and that could cause some problems.

While the Astros would like to be aggressive at the trade deadline, the team's farm system is lacking at the moment. According to some of the latest Astros rumors, Houston is looking to trade for an impact starter or a quality left-handed bat, but not both.

Yordan Alvarez's injury could be key to Dana Brown's trade deadline plans

Alvarez has already dealt with multiple setbacks in his recovery from his hand injury, so it would seem a bit farfetched to assume that he'll be ready to go in the next couple of weeks. There's already been some speculation that Alavarez could miss the remainder of the 2025 season following his latest setback. It appears as though he's improving, but Astros fans have heard that before.

If Alvarez is healthy, the Astros could look for a lesser left-handed hitter with the ability to play second base. That would then free up Houston's resources and allow the front office to make a real push for a starting pitching at the deadline. If Alvarez isn't healthy, the search for a starter would probably have to take a backseat. The lack of left-handed hitters in Houston's lineup is unsustainable.

Unfortunately for the Astros, they'll just have to wait and see how Alvarez is recovering before making their move at the deadline. One only hopes that the best options with either choice aren't already gone from the trade market before they find out.

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