Astros Star Yordan Alvarez Leaves Rangers Game with Apparent Injury

Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez left the game in the first inning after he scored a run in a pivotal AL West matchup.

Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (44) hits a single against the Toronto Blue Jays during the third inning at Rogers Centre. | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

The Houston Astros gained an early 2-0 lead on the Texas Rangers on Monday night but lost one of their top hitters in the first inning to an apparent injury.

Yordan Alvarez, who has been great at the plate since he returned from the injured list on Aug. 26, left the game after he scored a run due to what appeared to be a left ankle injury.

Alvarez started the game in left field for Houston. But after the injury he didn’t return, and the Astros move Jesus Sanchez from right field to left field to take over for Alvarez. Zach Cole came in to take over in right field. Later, the Astros announced that Alvarez had a left ankle sprain.

Yordan Alvarez’s Injury

Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The Astros started the inning with a Jeremy Pena single, followed by Alvarez drawing a walk. The next hitter, Carlos Correa, hit a weak grounder to Rangers pitcher Jack Leiter. He tried to make a throw from a near-seated position and threw the ball over the head of first baseman Jake Burger. As the ball went into the outfield, Pena scores and Alvarez ran through a stop sign at third base after Rangers right fielder Adolis Garcia didn’t get the ball in right away.

Alvarez beat the throw home, but after he crossed home plate, he clearly hurt his left leg as he had to hop to the dugout railing and needed help from teammates. He was quickly taken down into the dugout and into the clubhouse for further examination.

A replay showed that as Alvarez crossed home plate, the cleats on his left ankle slipped on the plate and he turned the ankle, leading to the injury.

Alvarez has played just 48 games this season with a slash of .273/.367/.430 with six home runs and 27 RBI. He missed more than two months with right hand inflammation. He was nearly set to return for a rehab assignment in late May until further examination led doctors to find a small fracture in the hand, which put him on the 60-day injured list.

Before the injury, Alvarez was mired in a month-long slump to start the season. He slashed .210/.306/.340 in 29 games with three home runs and 18 RBI. It’s a far cry from his production of the past three season, each of which led to All-Star Game selections.

Since he returned from the injured list, he’s slashed .369/.455/.569 with three home runs and nine RBI. Alvarez’s 162-game averages includes a slash of .295/.387/.573 with 41 home runs and 119 RBI.