The Houston Astros have been one of the most injured teams this season, and while Issac Paredes and Josh Hader are likely done for the year, the Astros previously lost a lot of other talent for huge chunks of the year as well.
While players like Jake Meyers and Jeremy Pena missed, and are missing time, Yordan Alvarez stands out as one of the most noteworthy absences from the Astros’ lineup. It took a while, but for the first time in over 100 games, he returned to the lineup.
Chandler Rome of The Athletic shared Alvarez’s comments on returning to the lineup after being out for so long. In his statement, Alvarez revealed how he didn’t think he’d be out for so long.
Alvarez Didn’t Expect the Long Recovery
“Never would I have thought it was going to take this much time to heal,” Alvarez said, “but that’s stuff that happens in life. I think what really had me calm was that the team was playing well, which really motivated me to come back and play.”
Alvarez went down in early May and returned in the last week of August. His debut wasn’t incredible, as he went 0-2 with two walks, but his presence in the lineup should be a huge help the rest of the year for Houston.
As the Astros slugger mentioned, part of why he was able to recover and return was thanks to the Astros playing well in his absence. While he likely would’ve returned regardless, the Astros playing winning baseball helped motivate him to come back.
MORE: Astros get Yordan Alvarez back in lineup for first time in 100 games
Houston, despite the injuries it’s suffered all year, still sits atop the AL West by 1.5 games. The Seattle Mariners have gone through their fair share of struggles, which have coincided with the Astros’ own struggles.
After a long road to recovery, Alvarez finally made it back with the Astros. Before the injury, he was hitting .210 with three home runs, which made for the worst hitting season of his career.
Getting him back in the heart of the lineup is huge for Houston, especially amid a tightly contested AL West division. Despite the long wait, over 100 games and nearly three months, the Astros are glad to have Alvarez back in the lineup.
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