The path to the American League pennant just got a little bit harder for the Boston Red Sox.
On Tuesday, the Houston Astros activated outfielder Yordan Alvarez from the 60-day injured list. Alvarez has been out since May 2 with a hand injury. He had only hit .210 with four home runs in 29 games, but the injury might have been affecting him. He didn’t appear in any of the Astros’ games against the Red Sox this season.
His return comes at a good time for Houston. Since the beginning of August, their wRC+ of 90 ranks 23rd in baseball. Houston lefties are hitting .173 over that span. Alvarez’s return to the lineup is a significant left-handed addition.
Alvarez is a Red Sox killer. In 23 regular-season games, he’s hitting .370 with seven home runs against Boston. That’s good for a 1.198 OPS. In the 2021 American League Championship Series, he hit .522 with three doubles and six runs batted in over six games.
Fortunately, the Red Sox won’t have to face Alvarez until the postseason, if at all. The Red Sox went 4-2 against Houston this year and don’t have them on the schedule for the rest of the regular season.
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The Astros currently lead the American League West by 1 1/2 games over the Seattle Mariners. They’re 72-59, which would be 1/2 game ahead of the Red Sox in the Wild Card standings.
Alvarez is batting fourth and playing left field for the Astros on Tuesday.
Featured image via Eric Canha/USA TODAY Sports Images
