Astros Slugger Yordan Alvarez’s Performances Turning Heads Around MLB

Houston's No. 2 hitter is becoming a feared batter to pitch to.

Yordan Alvarez | Erik Williams-Imagn Images

Things have not gone well to begin the season for the Houston Astros. There are a number of reasons for that. At the top of the list would be injuries. Their recent 10-game road trip a couple of weeks ago had more players end up on the injured list than it had wins. That's never good.

The starting rotation has been hit the hardest in terms of injuries, with Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier and Tatsuya Imai all ending up on the IL. Offensively, the Astros have been able to put up runs, but the pitching has not been able to keep the opponents from putting up crooked numbers. One player who has been hitting the ball well early in the season has been Yordan Alvarez.

Yordan Alvarez Becoming One of Baseball's Top Hitters

Yordan Alvarez | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report listed 10 overreactions to take seriously early in the 2026 season, and one of them was Alvarez being back to one of the scariest hitters in the majors.

If there has been one player who has been on a tear early in the season, it's been Alvarez. He has been so good, you must ask the question, "Where would the Astros be without him?'' Probably not anywhere where they are now and right now, it isn't really good.

Last season, Alvarez was limited to just 48 games due to injuries. He was really missed in the lineup for a team that faded down the stretch. This year, so far, he's making up for lost time in Joe Espada's lineup.

Alvarez already has 10 home runs this season after hitting one in Sunday afternoon's 7-5 10-inning loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. Going into the Guardians series, Alvarez is slashing .333/.471/.790 with 21 RBIs to go along with his 10 homers. He is also near the top of the league in on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS, OPS+ and total bases.

Houston is buried in the American West Division's basement early in the season at 8-15 as they head to Cleveland. They are a dreadful 1-9 on the road and just 7-6 at home after opening the season 5-2 against the Los Angeles Angels and Boston Red Sox.

The Astros are going to need more than Alvarez to stay within striking distance in the playoff race. Injuries are piling up and Alvarez staying healthy is a must for Houston. However, the start to the season is promising for the Astros with Alvarez looking healthy and one of the game's feared hitters right now.