Alvarez (hand inflammation) placed on injured list

MILWAUKEE -- Yordan Alvarez certainly hasn’t been himself at the plate this season and in the last few days has been dealing with inflammation in his right hand. Prior to Monday night's 5-1 loss to the Brewers, the Astros placed the slugger on the 10-day injured list and sent him to Houston to undergo further testing.

The club recalled catcher César Salazar from Triple-A Sugar Land to take Alvarez’s place on the roster.

Alvarez was scratched from the Houston lineup prior to Saturday’s game against the White Sox in Chicago and didn’t play Sunday. Astros manager Joe Espada said Alvarez showed up at American Family Field on Monday feeling better, but the club thinks he needs more time to allow the hand to fully heal.

“We gotta get him right, and I think with a few more days of rest, I think it will benefit him and hopefully we get him back by the homestand,” Espada said. “He’s flying back to Houston today to see the doctors and get some imaging and make sure that we’re on the right track.”

Alvarez is off to perhaps the worst start of his career. He’s slashing .210/.306/.340 in 121 plate appearances this season with three homers and 18 RBIs. He was 0-for-4 in Friday’s series opener Chicago. In 12 games since April 18, he’s slashing .190/.265/.310 with one home run -- a 436-foot moonshot on April 27 in Kansas City.

“Maybe it has something to do with the hand,” Espada said. “I’m not not going to speak for Yordan. I just know that he hasn’t been the guy, right? Kansas City, he hits the ball 400-something feet and then doesn't feel comfortable. We want to make sure he feels comfortable and he’s back 100 percent and we can keep him in the lineup for the long run.”

Alvarez was on the injured list in July 2022 with right hand inflammation, but Espada said this inflammation is in a different spot.

“Inflammation on the hand in any hitter, it’s not a good thing,” he said. “He grips the bat and he tries to move it around and he just feels it. Today was better, but not quite there yet.”

The addition of Salazar, a left-handed bat, gives the Astros three catchers, and either Yainer Diaz or Victor Caratini can be the designated hitter on days they’re not catching. It also allows Espada to pinch-run for one his catchers late in the game, knowing he has a third catcher. Salazar was hitting .197 in Sugar Land after appearing in 12 games for Houston last year.

Alvarez is coming off his fourth consecutive 30-plus-homer season, one in which he slashed .308/.392/.567 with 35 homers and 86 RBIs. He earned his third consecutive American League All-Star nod and was named the team’s Most Valuable Player in 2024.

“It’s something that this guy has been such a good hitter and the way he uses his hands, we’ve got to make sure this doesn't prolong and get to a point where he misses a long period of time,” Espada said.

After starting 53 games in left field last year, Alvarez has started only six in left this season and 23 at designated hitter. Espada said in Spring Training he’d like to limit Alvarez’s exposure to left field to help keep his knees healthy, but the issues with his hand remain a problem.