Yordan Alvarez injury update: Astros slugger leaves pivotal game vs. Rangers after slipping on plate

Houston Astros outfielder Yordan Alvarez exited Monday night’s game against the Texas Rangers (GameTracker) after spraining his ankle crossing the plate during the bottom of the first inning. Alvarez, who scored on a throwing error by Rangers pitcher Jack Leiter to give the Astros an early 2-0 edge, saw his left foot slide after touching down on the plate. 

Alvarez then needed assistance stopping his momentum outside of the Astros dugout before clearly being hobbled as he made his retreat down the steps and into the Houston clubhouse. 

Baseball Prospectus’ database shows that players tend to miss 30 days on average with a sprained ankle. Obviously every injury and recovery is different, so it’s to be seen if Alvarez adheres to the timeline.

The Astros moved starting right fielder Jesús Sánchez to left field at the beginning of the second inning after Alvarez’s departure. They also inserted rookie Zach Cole to backfill the vacancy in right field. 

Alvarez, 28, had reached base on a walk. He entered Monday’s contest having hit .273/.364/.430 (119 OPS+) with six home runs through 47 games. Alvarez had missed more than three months because of a hand injury. Since returning, he had posted a 1.024 OPS in 18 games.

The Astros and Rangers began a three-game set on Monday that has major playoff implications. The Astros are two games ahead of the Rangers for second place in the American League West as well as for the AL’s third and final wild card spot. The Rangers possess the 6-4 seasonal series advantage, meaning that the Astros will need to sweep in order to secure the tiebreaker.

It’s worth noting that the Astros and Rangers aren’t alone in their hunt for the final wild card spot. The Cleveland Guardians are just a half game back of the Rangers and 2 ½ games behind the Astros.