Astros see what happens if they avoid 48-game Yordan Alvarez nightmare

The Houston Astros need Yordan Alvarez's bat in the lineup.

A year after playing in only 48 games, Alvarez is showing in the early going of the 2026 MLB season just how impactful he can be when available.

The Astros have given lots of consideration to just what they can do to keep Alvarez healthy and playing.

Because when the big left-handed slugger is in the batter's box, he absolutely mashes.

"Alvarez was held to only 48 games last year, missing 100 games with a hand injury and then the final couple of weeks of the regular season with a sprained ankle," MLB.com's Brian McTaggert wrote in a new article. "The Astros have made keeping Alvarez in the lineup a priority, and his red-hot start to the season provided a reminder of his impact. Through seven games, Alvarez is slashing .417/.563/.917 with three homers, six walks (three intentional) and four strikeouts. With Alvarez leading the way, the Astros scored at least six runs in five consecutive games from Saturday through Wednesday and are averaging 8.6 runs per game in that span."

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The Astros have battled through the years with whether or not Alvarez needs to play in the field sometimes.

The reality at this point is his bat is the most important thing. If all he can do is DH, so be it. He's plenty valuable just like that.

The AL West looked to be the Astros' division to win last season before they struggled down the stretch and the Seattle Mariners got hot.

Having Alvarez in the lineup for more than a quarter of the season could be the kind of thing that makes all the difference in trying to win a competitive division and then make noise beyond that.

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