Yordan Alvarez Injury Update: When Will Astros OF Return?

It was expected that Yordan Alvarez would be back in the Houston Astros lineup by now. New imaging, however, has revealed that Alvarez actually has a small fracture in his hand, as opposed to the strain that the Astros initially thought he had.

So now, Astros fans and fantasy baseball owners are wondering when Alvarez will be back and return to the field. Here, we will deliver an Alvarez injury update and dish out an expected return date for the Astros slugger.

🚑 When will Yordan Alvarez return and be back with Astros?

Alvarez felt discomfort while hitting on May 30. Additional imaging revealed that Alvarez had a fourth metacarpal fracture. The good news for Astros fans and Alvarez is that the fracture is already 60 percent healed. 

“We’re hopeful that because he’s healed so much that he’ll be back sooner rather than later,” said Astros general manager Dana Brown.

The recovery time for this sort of injury is typically not too lengthy. San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado had the same hand fracture in 2023 and was out just 18 days.

Given that Alvarez is already 60 percent healed, we could see him back on the field as soon as mid-June.

Here is a look at the Astros schedule around that time.

• Thursday, June 12: Chicago White Sox at Houston Astros
• Friday, June 13: Minnesota Twins at Houston Astros
• Saturday, June 14: Minnesota Twins at Houston Astros
• Sunday, June 15: Minnesota Twins at Houston Astros
• Monday, June 16: Houston Astros at Athletics

⏳ How long will Yordan Alvarez be out?

A metacarpal fracture typically takes around six weeks to heal. Alvarez has already been out 32 days. Alvarez’s recovery time is tough to pin-point considering he had played for almost two weeks in April with discomfort in his hand before the first imaging was done in early May. The imaging in early May did not reveal a fracture, although the Astros believe there was too much inflammation and fluid in the area at the time to show a break.

"The immediate plan for him right now is to just let it rest," Brown said. "And he'll still continue to do other baseball activity like the running. He could probably go out in the outfield and catch. He can do everything else except for pick up a bat. And so we don't even want him hitting off tees even though he feels good enough to hit off a tee. Just let it heal completely and then you'll be back."

💰 Astros betting odds

Our best MLB betting sites have endless options for both novice and experienced baseball bettors. You can bet on live games and find dozens of player props. You can bet on if a player will hit a home run or if a player will record a stolen base. There are also futures betting options available, like the always popular World Series odds. The Astros are currently around +2200 to win it all at most sportsbooks.