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HOU • Outfielder • #44
4 days ago
Alvarez’s homer was hit 115.9 mph and at just a 19-degree launch angle, so it was got out in an incredible hurry. He’s third in the majors in homers and second with a 1.079 OPS.
HOU • Outfielder • #44
6 days ago
This was almost certainly because of the score. Isaac Paredes also departed early, as the Astros can’t afford to lose more of their most important players to injury. Alvarez, at least, is probably a better bet to stay healthy now with Carlos Correa out for the season and alleviating the Astros’ infield jam that never really materialized with Jeremy Peña missing all but 10 games to date. He should DH most of the time going forward, which could lead to more opportunities for Brice Matthews, Zach Cole and the currently injured Joey Loperfido going forward.
HOU • Outfielder • #44
12 days ago
Alvarez also drew a walk in the contest, reaching base safely in four of his five plate appearances. He started a five-run rally in the first inning by beating out an infield single with one out before coming around to score on a two-run knock by Dustin Harris. He then belted a 424-foot (107.4 mph EV) solo shot off of Young in the second inning that extended the Astros’ lead to 6-0. Alvarez also walked in the fourth inning and scored on a sacrifice fly. He has been lighting the world on fire so far this season, slashing a robust .356/.462/.737 to go with his league-leading 12 homers and 27 RBI.
HOU • Outfielder • #44
20 days ago
Alvarez homered after Carlos Correa doubled to start the top of the first. He continued to hit from there, but he was pretty much the only one, as his teammates only had two more hits and the Guardians finished with five over the course of the afternoon. Alvarez did have a curious final at-bat, never leaving the box on a groundout down the first base line that he wrongly assumed was going foul. It could have easily hit the bag and bounced away, but Alvarez surely would have been out regardless. It’ll be forgiven, what with his 1.245 OPS and all, but it wasn’t a good look.
HOU • Outfielder • #44
24 days ago
The homer was hit 109.2 mph off Pallante, but that wasn’t his hardest hit ball of the night. The line-drive double left his bat at 117.8 mph, his hardest-hit ball since a 117.9-mph groundout in his rookie year in 2019. He went on to reach 117 mph at least once each year from 2022-24, but he topped out at 115.4 mph last year and his high this season was 114.2 mph. It’s just another good sign from one of the year’s MVPs to date.
HOU • Outfielder • #44
25 days ago
Alvarez smacked a 378-foot homer into deep right-center in the third inning off Kyle Leahy for his eighth homer of the season and his second in three games. The left-handed slugger is now slashing .333/.479/.750 on the season and is tied with Aaron Judge for the league leader in home runs.
HOU • Outfielder • #44
27 days ago
Alvarez might well be the game’s best hitter right now, if only he can stay healthy. He’s hitting .333/.488/.762 with seven homers and 17 RBI through 84 plate appearances. His .488 OBP and .762 slugging both lead the majors.
HOU • Outfielder • #44
29 days ago
This will now be Alvarez’s fifth start in the outfield this season, which means he will have outfield eligibility in certain fantasy formats. That’s not only great for his fantasy managers, but this has continued to allow Isaac Paredes to get in the lineup at designated hitter. The question will be how long this experiment lasts, given Alvarez’s injury history.
HOU • Outfielder • #44
about 1 month ago
Alvarez is just scorching hot over the first two-plus weeks of the year, and he shellacked a Luis Castillo offering for his sixth homer of the season. He’s hitting .316 with an .800 slugging percentage, but it is worth noting he popped out with the bases loaded in the ninth inning in a time game. Still, fantasy managers have to be thrilled with the early production from Alvarez, who remains as good of hitter as there is in baseball when he’s healthy enough to show off those skills.
HOU • Outfielder • #44
about 1 month ago
The homer turned the Astros’ deficit from six runs to three in the eighth and caused the Mariners to use Andrés Muñoz, so perhaps that might pay off Saturday? Alvarez is batting .341/.516/.750 with five homers and 13 RBI in 14 games, and it’s going to be so fun to see what he can do if he can stay completely healthy this year.
HOU • Outfielder • #44
about 1 month ago
Alvarez kept on keeping on with a two-run blast off Jacob Lopez in the first inning. It’s already the fourth homer of the campaign, and that homer along with a pair of walks has him slashing .400/.578/.900. Obviously some regression is coming because this is not the Cal League, but this is a wonderful reminder that very few hitters have more offensive upside than Alvarez.
HOU • Outfielder • #44
about 1 month ago
The double was a 418-foot blast to center off Brayan Bello in the first. It would have been gone in 26 ballparks, according to Statcast, but Ceddanne Rafaela nearly turned it into an out before coming up just short at the wall. Alvarez didn’t leave it to chance in the fifth, delivering a 399-foot blast far over the wall in right. He’s looked fantastic so far, and he could easily have five homers, rather than three, through his first six games. It’s understandable to worry about durability, especially since he’s going to be asked to play a fair amount of left field, but he’s one of the handful of players with a real shot at winning AL MVP honors.
HOU • Outfielder • #44
about 1 month ago
Alvarez lost one homer to the roof at Daikin Park on Opening Day, but he’s up to two in five games anyway. One worries some about health, especially since the Astros seem poised to give him significant playing time in left field, but if he can start 150 games, he might make a run at AL MVP honors.
HOU • Outfielder • #44
about 2 months ago
Alvarez was reponsible for one of the Astros’ two runs on the night, with his solo homer off Yusei Kikuchi in the fifth inning providing the final run in the defeat. Alvarez is just 1-for-8 in his first two games to start the season, but has seen three of his at-bats come against lefty pitching. The Angels and Astros are off on Saturday and will conclude their opening series on Sunday.
HOU • Outfielder • #44
about 2 months ago
Alvarez finally got the Astros on the board in the fifth inning of this one, smacking an RBI single that pulled them to within five runs at 6-1. He has looked good at the plate this spring, hitting .296 (8-for27) with a homer, five RBI and a 7/1 K/BB ratio. Most importantly, he appears to be fully healthy heading into the 2026 season.
HOU • Outfielder • #44
about 2 months ago
The 28-year-old slugger opened the scoring in the first inning with an RBI single off of Mets’ right-hander Freddy Peralta. He then obliterated a Saul Garcia slider for a three-run blast in the sixth that extended that lead to 4-0. The 28-year-old slugger is now hitting .316 (6-for-19) on the spring while Saturday’s home run and RBIs were his first in Grapefruit League play. As long as he can avoid the injured list, he’s going to deliver substantial profit to those that call his name in fantasy drafts.
HOU • Outfielder • #44
2 months ago
The 28-year-old slugger smacked a two-out double off of Jake Irvin in the opening inning and then scored the game’s first run on an RBI double off the bat of Yainer Diaz. He then added a pair of singles before calling it a day. Through six games on the spring, Alvarez is hitting .250 (4-for-16) but has yet to drive in a run.
HOU • Outfielder • #44
2 months ago
It was the first action of the spring for Alvarez. It’d be better if it went well than it going like this, but the results aren’t important. Alvarez dealt with injuries for the overwhelming majority of 2025, but when healthy, there are very few sluggers better in the sport.
HOU • Outfielder • #44
2 months ago
The 28-year-old slugger has been brought along cautiously this spring but is fully healthy and ready for live game action. While he’s expected to see the bulk of his action as the designated hitter in 2026, Espada noted over the weekend that Alvarez will also see some starts in left field. If he can avoid the injured list, Alvarez will wind up delivering a substantial profit for fantasy managers from his current average draft position.
Source: Brian McTaggart
HOU • Outfielder • #44
2 months ago
After an injury-plagued 2025 season, Alvarez is slated to start the majority of games at designated hitter, but that doesn’t mean we won’t see him in the outfield. “Yordan likes to play left field, and that balance is important to keep,” Espada said on MLB Network. “He likes to go out to left field and put some at-bats behind him and go focus on something else defensively, and we’re going to do that. And also, by doing that, it allows us to DH some other veteran players that we will need to get off their feet.” How many games Alvarez plays in the outfield is anybody’s guess, but his having outfield eligibility in fantasy leagues would be big, as would getting extra at-bats for Isaac Paredes and Christian Walker at DH.
Source: MLB Network
HOU • Outfielder • #44
3 months ago
He’ll likely be managed with a lot of DH time this season, but it’s a good sign to see Alvarez ready to go before we get too deep into spring training. Our last update on him was that he was completely pain free, so fantasy managers shouldn’t have any reservations about drafting him early based on what we currently know. He’s still coming at a slight discount after last year’s 48-game injury-plagued debacle of a season.
Source: Brian McTaggart
HOU • Outfielder • #44
3 months ago
The 28-year-old slugger suffered an ankle injury in the middle of September that ultimately ended his season. Alvarez also missed significant time during the season due to a broken hand. As long as he’s able to avoid the injured list, he should once again put up massive offensive numbers for fantasy purposes. Astros’ skipper Joe Espada has already noted that the plan is for Alvarez to spend most of his time at DH in an effort to keep him healthy for the duration of the 2026 campaign.
Source: Matt Kawahara
NYM • Outfielder • #44
5 months ago
Rodriguez is just 17 years old and has pitched 15 1/3 innings in the Dominican Summer League, so this is the epitome of a flyer for the Mets. Considering the Mets also sent money to the Athletics, this move was all about moving on from McNeil and clearing space on the roster. It will take another 2-3 years before we have any idea what type of pitcher Rodriguez will become.
HOU • Outfielder • #44
5 months ago
Espada’s comments came shortly after Astros general manager Dana Brown reaffirmed that Alvarez will be ready for Opening Day as he continues to recover from a significant high ankle sprain that he suffered in late September. Houston’s skipper added that the decision to limit Alvarez from playing the field is strictly for health purposes. The Astros would like to keep the 28-year-old middle-of-the-order force in their lineup as often as possible after a hand fracture limited him to just 48 games this past season. It’s a positive development for fantasy purposes as eliminating the wear and tear of playing left field should help prevent knee issues that have bothered him in recent years.
Source: Chandler Rome
HOU • Outfielder • #44
5 months ago
Brown said last month that Alvarez was expected to be ready for the start of spring training after suffering a serious-looking ankle injury during late September. The 28-year-old slugger was diagnosed with a significant high ankle sprain that didn’t end up requiring surgery. The latest update should extinguish any concerns for fantasy managers heading into drafts next spring.
Source: Brian McTaggart
HOU • Outfielder • #44
6 months ago
Alvarez is expected to be ready to go for the start of spring training after suffering an ankle injury in the middle of September that cost him the rest of the season. The 28-year-old also missed significant time with a broken hand, but when healthy, there aren’t many better offensive players in the sport.
Source: Chandler Rome
HOU • Outfielder • #44
8 months ago
If the Astros miraculously find a way to make the playoffs, it’s possible that we could see the 28-year-old slugger at some point in October, but that looks like an extreme longshot at this point. Alvarez has been shelved since September 16 due to a severe ankle sprain.
Source: Chandler Rome
HOU • Outfielder • #44
8 months ago
If the Astros miraculously find a way to make the playoffs, it’s possible that we could see the 28-year-old slugger at some point in October, but that looks like an extreme longshot at this point. Alvarez has been shelved since September 16 due to a severe ankle sprain.
Source: Chandler Rome
HOU • Outfielder • #44
8 months ago
It’s starting to feel like a real long shot that Alvarez is ready to roll when the playoffs get underway next week, assuming the Astros manage to qualify. The 28-year-old slugger is going to need some extended time to ramp-up as he recovers from a serious left ankle sprain which makes it unlikely he’s cleared to return anytime soon.
Source: Chandler Rome
HOU • Outfielder • #44
8 months ago
Alvarez told reporters Sunday that he’s progressing well but still needs to wait for the inflammation in his left ankle to subside before he’s cleared to return. It seems highly unlikely he’ll return before the regular season concludes. There’s an outside chance he’s ready for the outset of the postseason, should the Astros manage to win the AL West or hang onto a Wild Card playoff berth.
Source: Chandler Rome