HOUSTON -- The big man is back in the Astros’ lineup.
Slugger Yordan Alvarez, who hasn’t played since May 2 because of a right hand fracture and lingering inflammation, was activated from the 60-day injured list prior to Tuesday’s series opener against the Rockies at Daikin Park. Alvarez, who missed 100 games, was in the lineup at cleanup and starting in left.
“Obviously getting Yordan back is huge,” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “Not only what he means to our team and our offense, but what he means as a competitor. Our team just got that much better today by adding one of the best hitters in the big leagues. We are real excited to have him back.”
The addition of Alvarez, one of baseball’s premier left-handed hitters, adds a major threat to a Houston lineup that added Carlos Correa, Ramón Urías and Jesús Sánchez at the Trade Deadline to help offset the injuries to Alvarez, Jake Meyers (calf) and Isaac Paredes (hamstring). Meyers will begin a Minor League rehab assignment on Wednesday.
The Astros went 56-44 without Alvarez and have been in first place since June 3.
“What really had me calm was the team was playing well and that really motivated me to come back and play,” he said.
Alvarez began the season slow, hitting .210/.306/.340 with three homers and 18 RBIs in 121 plate appearances before going on the injured list. He was a force in Houston’s lineup last season, which was his fourth consecutive hitting 30-plus home runs. He slashed .308/.392/.567 with 35 homers and 86 RBIs, earned his third consecutive American League All-Star nod and was named the team’s Most Valuable Player.
Alvarez said he never expected to miss as much time as he did when he initially went on the injured list, but a pair of setbacks prolonged his rehab.
“It was a lot of time to be out and a lot of stress,” he said. “One day I woke up and grabbed the bat and I didn’t feel anything was wrong with it, and that’s when everything started to change for the better.”
Alvarez has no restrictions, though Espada will likely have to give him a day off here and there in the next couple of weeks considering he’s been out so long. Alvarez will continue to split time at left field and DH with Jose Altuve, who will also play some second base.
“We’re going to keep an eye on him and keep him healthy,” Espada said. “We are going to take it one day at a time.”
Alvarez originally hurt his right hand swinging the bat in a game in late April, but he kept playing through the pain because he’s dealt with similar injuries in the past. He was scratched from the Astros’ lineup before the May 3 game against the White Sox in Chicago and went on the injured list on May 5.
He was originally diagnosed with a muscle strain in his right hand following a May 6 MRI exam. The swelling and inflammation in the hand prevented the team from seeing what turned out to be a fracture of the fourth metacarpal. The team announced on May 31 that Alvarez had a fracture that was 60% healed, calling it a “small fracture.”
Alvarez took batting practice on the field at Daikin Park on June 28 and reported to West Palm Beach, Fla., on June 29 to ramp up his rehab with live batting practice. He took some dry swings on June 30, but then he reported to the facility on July 1 with more pain in his hand, prompting a visit to a hand specialist.
He received two injections into his hand on July 2 to help reduce inflammation and took some time off before resuming swinging the bat. The team said Alvarez has received injections in his hand previously while on the injured list this season. Alvarez began a Minor League rehab assignment last week at Double-A Corpus Christi and slashed .467/.529/.733 in four games.
“He grinded through this and it was not easy to get him back in the lineup both emotionally and physically,” Espada said. “He wants to be in there so bad, but he’s back. I’m happy to have him back and the goal now is to keep him in the lineup and keep this team healthy for the remainder of the season.”