2 min read • July 10, 2022
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The Astros placed slugger Yordan Alvarez on the 10-day IL on Sunday because of a worsening hand injury that dates back to June 18.
Our team of Pro Baseball Docs project that Alvarez will miss at least a month with the right hand issue that is consistent with a hamate bone injury.
Hamate bone injuries, even minor ones, typically don’t improve without a long rest period.
The bone may or may not be fractured, but surgery is likely the surest way to get Alvarez back for the end of the regular season and playoffs.
The surgery to remove the hook of hamate portion of the bone at the base of his hand carries a typical recovery of 6-to-8 weeks.
The recovery is fairly straight forward because the damage portion of the bone is removed.
The 25-year-old suffered the initial injury on an awkward swing on June 18 and appeared to flex his hand afterwards, as seen in the video below.
Houston was reportedly concerned at the time for a hamate fracture, but tests confirmed it was only a contusion.
The injury, however, has continued to worsen and is now affecting his hitting. Over the last 12 games, Alvarez is batting .244 with 4 home runs, 6 RBIs and a sky-high 29.3% strikeout rate.
When the hook of the hamate is damaged, players usually struggle with grip issues. That makes it especially hard to player through for power hitters.
Alvarez will miss a big chunk of games whether he has the surgery or not and the Astros, 55-29, have enough of a cushion in the AL West to weather 40-to-50 games without their DH.
In a similar circumstance, powerful-swinging golfer Bryson DeChambeau suffered a hamate injury in his off-hand in February.
He attempted to play through the injury but underwent surgery in mid-April after a +12 performance at The Masters.
Alvarez, who was named to the AL All-Star team on Sunday, has a league-high 1.058 OPS with 26 home runs, 60 RBI, and 57 runs in 268 at-bats this season.
Alvarez had the third-best odds to lead the MLB in home runs at +1000 on FanDuel Sportsbook, behind Aaron Judge at -135 and Kyle Schwarber at +250.
The Astros remain overwhelming favorites to win the AL West and are +550 to win the World Series behind only the Yankees at +400 and the Dodgers at +450.
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Yordan Alvarez’s hand is acting up again. Astros want to use next three days to get him right. He went back to Houston today. They hope to have him to play against the Yankees back home.
