Yordan Alvarez Injury: Decoding The Astros' Sleight Of Hand on Slugger's Soreness

Astros' left fielder Yordan Alvarez reassured through an interpreter Wednesday that he will “100 percent" return to the lineup on Friday after missing the last three games to rest soreness in one unspecified hand.

Alvarez made it a point to correct Dusty Baker's assertion earlier this week that he had an issue in both his right and left hands, confirming only one hand is sore but avoiding specifying which hand.

All the signs and numbers point to Alvarez continuing to deal with pain in his right hand that has plagued him since he suffered what the Pro Baseball Docs believe was a hamate bone injury on June 18.

Yordan Alvarez Injury Update

Unfortunately for the Astros, five or even 10 days off likely won't be enough time for Alvarez to adequately heal the lingering issue that has significantly impacted his power for at least the past month.

If Alvarez is indeed playing through a hook of hamate fracture as the Docs previously detailed, he will need surgery to excise the hook portion and 6-to-8 weeks of recovery, which he is highly unlikely to undergo with only a month until the playoffs. 

Alavrez said through his interpreter on Wednesday that he's not anticipating undergoing surgery in the offseason. 

The Astros sent their all-star to the 10-day IL just before the all-star break to treat right hand inflammation in 

Alavrez was red-hot in the first 10 games off the IL from July 21-29, posting a 1.464 OPS with four home runs, nine RBI, 11 walks, and seven strikeouts in 27 at-bats.

The lefty has struggled heavily in August, hitting .234 with a .638 OPS, 10 RBI, 22 strikeouts, and as many GDP, 4, as extra-base hits in 77 at-bats.

The MLB OBP leader's power has been non-existent in the last month: Since hitting a home run in the sixth inning on July 29, Alvarez has one home run and 24 strikeouts in 25 games. 

Across that same span, Aaron Judge has hit 10 home runs, Shohei Ohtani has hit 8, Joey Gallo has hit three after being released by the Yankees, and A's rookie Dermis Garcia – who Oakland called up on August 26 – has 2 in 13 at-bats. 

Astros World Series Odds

Entering the season's final month, Houston is 11.5 games clear in the AL West race and boasts the top record in the American League.

The Astros are +380 to win the World Series, the second best odds behind the Dodgers, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.