Astros' Top Concern Should Be Unclear Status of Slugger Yordan Alvarez

The Houston Astros have struggled in the second half of the season, with injuries piling up for the organization.

Despite a great first half of the year, the Astros have seen their once sizable lead shrink in the American League West over the last couple of weeks. While Houston has taken a step back, both the Seattle Mariners and the Texas Rangers have taken some strides.

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All three of these teams improved at the trade deadline, with arguably the Mariners and Rangers getting more talent than the Astros.

Houston didn’t accomplish one of their goals to acquire a number three starter to pair alongside Hunter Brown and Framber Valdez, but they did add some batters.

Offense has been a massive issue for the team for much of the season, and a recent injury to Isaac Parades crippled the unit. At the deadline, they made a splash reuniting with Carlos Correa, but they have been without their star for most of the year.

Bradford Doolittle of ESPN recently wrote about the biggest concern for the Astros being their offense and their need to get Yordan Alvarez back from the injured list.

“As the Astros have come back to the pack in the American League West, their offense has been the coldest in baseball. Alvarez is their best hope of getting back to at least average.”

When Houston lost both Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker over the winter, the expectation was that Alvarez would become the new clear offensive star for the team. The slugger had been performing extremely well the past several campaigns and seemed like he could be the focal point of the offense.

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With an OPS well over .900 from 2022-24, Alvarez was proving to be one of the best hitters in the game. Even though they knew they were going to be losing a lot with Bregman and Tucker departing, they had their big slugger to lean on.

Unfortunately, he got off to a terrible start to the season and, after just playing 29 games, has been on the injured list ever since. .210/.306/.340 with three home runs and 18 RBI.

While there have been some encouraging updates of late for a potential return, there still isn’t a timetable.

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If the Astros are going to hold on in the AL West, they are going to need their star slugger back and healthy. Alvarez can carry this unit, but his health and the unknown surrounding a return are a top concern for the franchise.

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