Houston Astros Receive Troubling Update on Alvarez

Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Álvarez left after his first inning at-bat in Toronto after feeling oblique discomfort.

Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

The Houston Astros just can't seem to catch a break when it comes to injuries in the 2023 MLB season.

Designated hitter Yordan Álvarez is the latest Astros player to deal with a setback, as the 25-year-old slugger left Thursday night's game at Toronto after his first inning at-bat due to right oblique discomfort.

"We'll re-evaluate him tomorrow," Houston manager Dusty Baker told MLB.com on Thursday night in Canada. "That's a tough blow right there. We've just got to regroup and try to figure out how we're going to win some ballgames and get through this."

Following Thursday's 3-2 loss to the Blue Jays, the Astros have now dropped three straight contests and sit 5.0 games behind the first-place Texas Rangers in the American League West.

Missing Álvarez for any amount of time, even just a handful of games, leaves Baker in a tough position as the Houston skipper aims to right the ship with the Astros heading to Cleveland for a three-game series against the Guardians.

"Yordan is a key piece in the lineup," Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña said. "Not just in the lineup, but in general to this team. To see him leave the game early, it's never a good thing."

Álvarez currently leads the Majors with 55 RBI and had reached base in 19 consecutive games prior to Thursday night's early exit.

Update: On Friday the Astros announced that Alvarez will be placed on the injured list with right oblique discomfort and travel back to Houston for further evaluation according to multiple sources. 

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