Yordan

Alvarez

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The move doesn’t come as a surprise since Astros manager Joe Espada noted earlier in the week that Alvarez was dealing with a “significant” left ankle sprain. It remains unclear just how long the Astros expect him to be shelved for and whether he’ll be available for the postseason. Isaac Paredes was activated from the 60-day injured list in a corresponding move on Friday.

Espada added that Alvarez is going to be “out for a while” after suffering a serious ankle injury during Monday’s game against the Rangers when he stepped awkwardly on home plate. However, there’s been no indication from the club that they plan to place him on the injured list. The 28-year-old middle-of-the-order force was on an absolute tear since returning from the injured list back on August 26, batting .369 (24-for-65) with three homers and nine RBI over 19 contests during that span. His absence for the final two weeks of the regular season is a significant loss for the Astros and fantasy managers as well. It’s unclear at this juncture whether he has any real shot of returning for the postseason, should Houston wind up qualifying.