Yordan

Alvarez

Alvarez’ home run was his 31st of the year. He hit a two-run shot off Kumar Rocker in the first inning. Alvarez is hitting .315 with a 1.055 OPS and 70 RBI with one game remaining before the All-Star break.

This was a special home run for Alvarez. First off, because he’s the first player in the American League to reach 30 on the season. Also, it was the 200th of his career. Lastly, he absolutely clobbered it. At 455 feet it was the furthest home run he’s hit this season and he took a moment to stare and admire it. His pursuit of a triple crown wages on with 30 home runs, 68 RBI, and a .312 batting average with two games left before the All-Star break.

Alvarez put the Astros on the board in the first inning, taking Drew Rasmussen deep for a two-run homer. He drove in a third run with a single in the fifth, then brought a fourth run home with a sacrifice fly in the seventh. With the game tied in the bottom of the ninth, he took Casey Legumina deep for a walk-off, two-run blast. The 29-year-old slugger drew some deserved MVP chants after the game. He’s up to 29 homers, 62 runs scored, and 67 RBI while batting .324/.433/.645 across 388 plate appearances.

Alvarez was quite literally the extent of the Astros’ offense here. His solo home run accounted for their only run and one of their three total hits. That was his 27th home run and 61st RBI of the season as he further positions himself for a triple crown pursuit in the second half. Also, it didn’t show up in the box score, but had a 118.5 mph groundout in the eighth inning. That was the hardest hit ball of his impressive career.

This was just another day at the office for Alvarez. Three batted balls hit harder than 100 mph, three more hits, a walk, and he raised his batting average to .319 in the process. His season is still so ridiculously impressive as we approach the All-Star break that the Astros’ broadcast flashed a triple crown graphic during this game. With 26 home runs and 60 RBI to go with that .319 average – each of which are top-two in the American League – it’s not a crazy conversation to have.

Alvarez collected three hits against the Twins on Tuesday, but none bigger than his blast in the fourth inning. With the bases loaded and two outs, he took Joe Ryan deep for a grand slam to highlight a six-run inning for Houston. The 29-year-old slugger is up to 26 homers, 59 runs scored, and 60 RBI while slashing .314/.428/.618 across 374 plate appearances.

Alvarez celebrates his 29th birthday by taking a seat for the just the second time all season after going hitless in three consecutive games. It’s his first time out of Houston’s lineup since May 24. The 29-year-old slugger has been arguably the best pure hitter in baseball this season, slashing .314/.427/.619 with an American League-leading 25 homers and 56 RBI through 83 games. His 182 wRC+ is tops in baseball by a considerable margin. It’ll be Yainer Diaz taking a turn at DH with Brice Matthews handling left field.

Alvarez, who is second in the majors in homers and first in OPS, is obviously on track to make his fourth All-Star roster, but he’s never taken part in the Derby. He only really had a chance in 2024, as he was injured and didn’t take part in the All-Star Game in 2022 and ’23. He wasn’t an All-Star while missing most of last season.

Alvarez got the scoring started with a solo shot off Slade Cecconi in the bottom of the first. It was his 25th homer of the season. Fantasy managers are likely holding their breath with every game he plays, as his injury history has been painful to stomach at times. But so far in 2026, everything is coming together the way projections always made it seem possible. Alvarez has started all but one game for the Astros, putting him on track to set career highs across the board in counting stats.

Alvarez is on a different level right now. He became the first Astros player since Jeff Bagwell in 1994 to hit two home runs in the same inning, and Alvarez did so in the first. The second of which was a grand slam that capped off a legendary nine-run top of the first for the Astros where Alvarez drove home six of those runs. Those homers brought him to 24 on the season, which tied Kyle Schwarber for the league-lead. His 1.092 OPS also leads the league by a longshot and his .321 batting average is second in the AL. As of this moment, he’s the clear-cut MVP frontrunner in what’s been a sensational bounceback season after an injury-marred 2025.