Yordan Alvarez, to put it modestly, noticeably sprained his left ankle against the Rangers on Monday night. I won’t share the photo or video of the play here, as I can’t stomach rewatching those kinds of injuries, but you can find it online somewhere. Ankles aren’t meant to bend like that. Undoubtedly, Alvarez will miss some time; how much is anyone’s guess, though. Joe Espada certainly didn’t provide any clarity in terms of a timeline or even an answer about whether an IL stint will happen when
speaking with Chandler Rome and other members of the media.
Missing Alvarez for any amount of time, once again, is a brutal blow to the Astros. They are in a tight division race at the moment with the first-place Mariners, and the Rangers are right behind them in the standings. This current six-game homestand against both of those teams will likely determine the outcome for the division title and possibly even a Wild Card spot. Winning Monday in the first game of that three-game set against Texas was a massive positive, especially in light of this update. I really hope Dana Brown’s optimism about Isaac Paredes’ possible return in time for the series against Seattle doesn’t come back to haunt them.
In any case, the vibes around the team certainly aren’t great—another injury in a long line of them. FanGraphs’ Dan Szymborski estimated in his article earlier today that Houston has the highest potential WAR loss (17.6) on the season among all teams. While the days of this club being an unquestionable powerhouse are behind them within this current window, this roster, when relatively healthy, isn’t an afterthought within the hierarchy of the American League. But the sheer amount of injuries and a lack of organizational depth in the upper levels of the minors have undoubtedly hurt the Astros in the standings. On that note, Houston has outperformed its Pythagorean record of 78-73 based on its +23 run differential, compared to the actual record of 82-69. Certainly doesn’t feel like it, right?
In any case, the Astros are hurting in more ways than one, and this team is literally limping to the finish line. I’d love to be proven wrong — not hard to do, ask my wife — but I can’t foresee a deep postseason run from this roster. Yes, even if Alvarez somehow returns for the postseason, if, and this is becoming a big caveat now, the team qualifies for October.
