Yordan Alvarez had to leave the Astros matchup with the Blue Jays early while dealing with oblique discomfort, the team announced.
Yordan Alvarez has been nothing short of outstanding and essential for the Astros in 2023.
Despite missing Jose Altuve for much of the young season, Houston has managed to stay afloat in the AL West. They can thank Alvarez and his 17 home runs and 55 RBI for that.
Now the Astros may be forced to contemplate life without Alvarez, at least for a short while. He had to exit Thursday's game against the Blue Jays in the third inning.
Yordan Alvarez injury update: Astros announce oblique issue
The Astros announced that the DH was removed because of "oblique discomfort," per Chandler Rome of The Athletic.
It wasn't immediately clear what was wrong with Alvarez. While there was early speculation that perhaps the poor air quality in Toronto was to blame, others examined his first-inning at-bat for signs of discomfort.
Now we know it wasn't air quality or an ankle. The obliques are abdominal muscles. The only thing left to learn is the extent of the damage that caused Alvarez enough discomfort to leave the game.
Alvarez grounded out to first in his lone at-bat of the outing. He was replaced by Corey Julks in the top of the third.
Houston scored two runs in the second inning, so Alvarez's absence didn't immediately hinder their offense. However, he's been such a big part of it that the team and fans will be praying he doesn't have to miss any time with the oblique issue.
This year, Alvarez is batting .274/.386/.582 and leads the majors in RBI. His 17 home runs are second in the AL behind only Aaron Judge.
The Astros came into Thursday's game at 36-26, sitting 4.5 games behind the Rangers and 0.5 games ahead of the Yankees in the wildcard race.
Thursday's outing will end the series in Toronto. Houston took the first game but the Blue Jays hit back with wins on Tuesday and Wednesday.
On Friday, the Astros will continue their road trip with a series against Cleveland. We'll have to see if Alvarez is available for that one.
