The Houston Astros’ lead in the AL West has fallen to just 1.5 games over the Seattle Mariners. Even with the additions of Carlos Correa, Jesus Sanchez, and Ramon Urias, the Astros are still looking for a spark offensively.
Specifically, as Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report pointed out, the team’s biggest weakness is a left-handed hitter. While Sanchez can help in that regard, to resolve the biggest weakness on the roster, the return of Yordan Alvarez would be a huge help.
“The much bigger key, though, is Alvarez, who had a .988 OPS over the previous three seasons combined and who entered 2025 as one of the top candidates to win AL MVP.” Miller writes. “If he comes back from his hand injury and starts hitting like he did in any other season of his career, that’s a colossal game-changer.”
Adding Alvarez to the Astros’ lineup would be a huge way to dramatically improve the Astros’ lineup against right-handed pitching. Beyond the versatility and power he brings, Alvarez’s return is much more important than it seems.
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“Both Seattle and Texas are loaded with right-handed pitchers who can mow down right-handed hitters,” Miller writes, “so any sort of AL West showdown in October could be disastrous for Houston.”
While the Astros have played well this season and are atop the AL West, there’s no guarantee that, come October, the offense will be as good as it’s been this season. The Astros need Alvarez for his bat and to protect the lineup against right-handed pitching.
But, as Alvarez had a .210 batting average and a .646 OPS in his 29 games this season, there is concern that once he returns, he won’t be nearly as impactful as he once was.
A left-handed hitter is the Astros’ biggest weakness, even though they added Sanchez at the trade deadline. Getting Alvarez back into the lineup would be huge, especially if the left-handed slugger can return to form from before the 2025 season.
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