This season, the Houston Astros have had terrible luck with injuries, but the pitching staff has been the biggest problem.
The team’s best hitter has also been out for nearly a month with a hand injury. While fans wait for his return, the updates have been anything but clear. Houston’s rotation has taken hit after hit, but now the focus is back on Yordan Álvarez — and it sounds like the team may have misjudged his situation.
Confusion Around Yordan Álvarez’s Hand Injury
Astros general manager Dana Brown shared a key detail Wednesday morning about Alvarez’s status. MLB.com’s Astros beat writer Brian McTaggart posted on X that Brown admitted the team may have handled the injury the wrong way.
“I think the big point here is when he had the first injury, in terms of the muscle strain in the hand, maybe we shouldn’t have let him fight through that,” Brown said.
When Álvarez took live batting practice last Friday against two Minor League pitchers, the Astros thought he could return as soon as this past weekend. But those plans changed quickly.
Astros GM Dana Brown, on the team’s pregame radio show on @sportstalk790, said on Alvarez: “I think the big point here is when he had the first injury, in terms of the muscle strain in the hand, maybe we shouldn’t have let him fight through that. He said it wasn’t the normal pain…
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) June 1, 2025
Before Saturday’s 16-3 loss to the Rays at Daikin Park, Brown told reporters that Álvarez had a “very small fracture” in his right hand. The news came as a surprise since the team had not previously mentioned a fracture.
Timeline Remains Unclear for Return
Álvarez has not been allowed to hit since May 2. Brown said the fracture, located in the fourth metacarpal of his star’s right hand, is about 60% healed. There is still no firm return date, though Brown said it could be “sooner than later.”
The issue, according to Brown, is that the original MRI on May 6 showed only a muscle injury because of swelling and inflammation in the area. That made it hard for doctors to detect the fracture at the time.
Álvarez told reporters that swinging the bat recently may have made the injury worse. While surgery isn’t needed, he’ll still have to wait for full healing and work his swing strength back before returning.
Playing Through Pain Made It Worse
The injury reportedly began in late April when Álvarez felt pain in his hand after a swing. He tried to play through it. He has said he’s dealt with similar injuries before and thought he could manage the pain.
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But by May 3, before a game in Chicago against the White Sox, Álvarez was pulled from the lineup. He was placed on the 10-day injured list on May 5. Since then, the team has gone 15-14 without him.
Álvarez Off to a Slow Start in 2025
In 100 at-bats this season, Álvarez has just three home runs — a sharp drop from his usual power numbers. The 27-year-old slugger has hit at least 30 homers in each of the past four full seasons. For a team already struggling to find consistency at the plate, his absence has only made things worse.
Recurring Injury Misreads for Houston
This is the second straight year the Astros have missed time from a star player due to an injury that wasn’t diagnosed right away. Last June, Kyle Tucker fouled a ball off his shin and was diagnosed with a contusion. Three months later, it was revealed he had actually suffered a fracture.
These kinds of medical misreads are adding up and costing the Astros key games — and key players. If Álvarez’s hand doesn’t heal soon, Houston could continue to slide in the standings, especially with the rotation already worn thin.