Houston Astros general manager Dana Brown said earlier this week that the hope is for outfielder/designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (oblique) to return to the major-league lineup on Monday for the start of a series against the division-rival Texas Rangers. Alvarez played in his first minor-league rehab game on Wednesday and has a routine off day on Thursday at Triple-A Sugar Land. He's expected to play again on Friday and Saturday, and barring any setbacks, he'll be activated from the injured list on Monday. The 26-year-old left-handed slugger has been out since early June with a right-oblique strain. When healthy, he has the ability to carry fantasy rosters as one of the best all-around hitters in the big leagues.

Houston Astros outfielder/designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (oblique) went 1-for-3 with a single and a walk in his first minor-league rehab game with Triple-A Sugar Land on Wednesday. "Everything went as planned," manager Dusty Baker said Tuesday of Alvarez's workouts. "He's still progressing." Alvarez injured his right oblique on June 8 in Toronto. He's hitting .277 (56-for-202) with 12 doubles, 17 home runs and 55 RBI on the year and was selected to his second All-Star game this year after winning the American League Silver Slugger in 2022. It's unclear how long the 26-year-old will be on his rehab assignment, but he's getting close to a return for fantasy managers.

Houston Astros outfielder/designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (oblique) will start a rehab assignment on Wednesday with Triple-A Sugar Land, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports. The heavy hitter hit the injured list last month after straining his right oblique. Before the injury, though, Alvarez was mashing, as he slashed .277/.388/.589 with 17 bombs, 41 runs, and 55 RBI over 57 games. Fantasy managers should be excited to get him back in their starting lineups, hopefully by the end of the month.

Houston Astros outfielder Yordan Alvarez (oblique, illness) worked out in Houston Saturday and is feeling better. According to Astros manager Dusty Baker, it's unclear when Alvarez will begin a rehab assignment. The 26-year-old was set to start a rehab assignment on Friday but was delayed due to an illness. He has been sidelined since early June with a right oblique strain. The star outfielder slashed .277/.388/.589 with 17 home runs, 55 RBI, and 41 runs across 242 plate appearances. Barring any setbacks, Alvarez is expected to return soon and rejoin Houston's lineup shortly.

The start of Houston Astros outfielder/designated hitter Yordan Alvarez's (illness, oblique) minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Sugar Land has been delayed due to an illness. Alvarez had been scheduled to finally begin his rehab assignment with Sugar Land on Friday, but it will now be pushed back. Hopefully, the 26-year-old All-Star slugger will be able to start his rehab assignment later this weekend, with a potential return to the Astros lineup still in the cards for some point next week. He has been out since early June with a right-oblique strain, but Alvarez absolutely must remain stashed in all fantasy leagues as one of the most dominant hitters in the game when he's fully healthy.

Houston Astros outfielder/designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (oblique) will start his minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Sugar Land on Friday. At long last, Alvarez is getting very close to rejoining the Astros after going on the injured list in early June with a right-oblique strain. The 26-year-old left-handed slugger needs to be rostered in all fantasy leagues because of his ability to carry fantasy teams with his offensive prowess. Barring a setback, Alvarez should be back in Houston's starting lineup by late next week. Before his injury, he was slashing a strong .277/.388/.589 with a .978 OPS, 17 home runs, 12 doubles, 55 RBI and 41 runs scored in just 57 games (242 plate appearances).

Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (oblique) has been making solid progress over the last week or so. Over the weekend, Alvarez has been able to take batting practice prior to game action. The 26-year-old is planning to be on a rehab assignment shortly after the All-Star break, according to Astros general manager Dana Brown. He also mentioned that right-hander Jose Urquidy (shoulder) will join Alvarez on his rehab assignment. It's also worth noting that Brown mentioned Jose Altuve is about a week behind both Alvarez and Urquidy, but is healing quickly.

Houston Astros outfielder/designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (oblique) hit on the field on Friday at Minute Maid Park and could face right-hander Jose Urquidy (shoulder) in a live batting practice session on Sunday. He will continue to work out with the team's coaching staff in Seattle during next week's All-Star break. Alvarez has been on the injured list since June 8 with a right-oblique strain, but he's getting closer to returning and could rejoin Houston's starting lineup shortly after the break. The 26-year-old should remain stashed in all fantasy formats as one of the best all-around hitters when he's healthy. Alvarez will eventually return to a .277/.388/.589 slash line with a .978 OPS, 17 home runs, 12 doubles, 55 RBI and 41 runs scored.

Houston Astros outfielder/designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (oblique) said that the team will decide if he's ready for a minor-league rehab assignment after next week's All-Star break. Alvarez also said he'll go to Seattle for next week's All-Star festivities, even though he won't be playing at all. The 26-year-old left-handed slugger took batting practice in the cages at 60 percent intensity on Sunday and is getting closer to playing in live games. Sunday was the first time that he had taking batting practice or played in a game since June 8. There remains no timetable for his return, but barring any setbacks, he should return to the Astros' lineup before the end of July. Alvarez is a must-stash in all fantasy leagues as one of the best overall hitters in the game when he's fully healthy.

Houston Astros outfielder/designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (oblique) took batting practice at 60% intensity on Sunday. He later reporters that he plans to ramp it up on Monday, depending on how he feels, before getting some work in the field. Alvarez has been out for nearly a month while dealing with a right oblique strain but the good news is that he appears to be on track to return after the All-Star break. He owns a stellar .277/.388/.589 batting line to go along with 17 home runs and 55 RBI over 202 at-bats on the season.

Houston Astros outfielder/designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (oblique) hit off a tee on Wednesday and also did soft toss in the batting cages. Alvarez has been out since early June with a right-oblique strain, but he's making some progress. There's still no timetable for his return to the Astros' lineup, though, and fantasy managers shouldn't get their hopes up that he'll return before the All-Star break in mid-July. The 26-year-old is one of the best all-around hitters in baseball when healthy, so he shouldn't be languishing on any waiver wires. The left-handed Cuban slugger has a .277/.388/.589 slash line with an impressive .978 OPS, 17 homers and 55 RBI in 57 games. Corey Julks has seen most of the playing time in left field in Houston of late, although Chas McCormick and Bligh Madris have also mixed in.

Houston Astros general manager Dana Brown said that outfielder/designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (oblique) will miss four weeks with his oblique strain after undergoing an MRI exam. News came out early on Wednesday that Alvarez would miss extended time with his injury, and now we have a more specific timetable. The 25-year-old left-handed slugger isn't expected to resume baseball activities for another three weeks, so fantasy managers shouldn't expect him back in the big leagues until after the All-Star break in mid-July. After he restarts baseball activities, he'll need to play in minor-league rehab games. It's a tough break for one of the best hitters in baseball, but the Astros aren't going to rush him back. Fantasy managers must stash Alvarez in an injured-list spot in all formats.

Houston Astros general manager Dana Brown made it sound like outfielder/designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (oblique) is at least three weeks away from doing any sort of baseball activities. Alvarez is dealing with a right oblique injury that has kept him out since June 8. Oblique injuries can be tricky to return from, so fantasy managers will need to be patient with the 25-year-old Cuban slugger. There's now a chance that we won't see Alvarez until after the All-Star break. It's a tough break for fantasy managers, as Alvarez is one of the best hitters in baseball when healthy. He currently has a .277 average (56-for-202) with 12 doubles, 17 homers and 55 RBI in 57 games. The Astros will likely continue rotating Yainer Diaz, Jose Abreu and Corey Julks at DH with Alvarez sidelined.

According to Astros general manager Dana Brown, designated hitter/outfielder Yordan Alvarez remains without a firm return date. It's "still up in the air a little bit," said Brown during an interview with a Houston radio station. "It will be a week at least to get a feel for how long it's going to be." The slugger recently landed on the 10-day injured list because of a right oblique injury. However, fantasy managers should keep Alvarez stashed on their rosters at all costs, even if he's looking at a lengthy layoff. But that goes without saying.

Houston Astros outfielder/designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (oblique) has been placed on the 10-day injured list on Friday. This was expected after manager Dusty Baker mentioned Alvarez was likely to end up missing time. The left-handed slugger is dealing with a right oblique issue that forced him to exit early on Thursday. The organization will have Alvarez head to Houston in order to get more testing done. It's going to be nearly impossible for Houston to replace his presence in the lineup. The expectation is that Chas McCormick and Corey Julks will see more playing time.

Houston Astros outfielder/designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (oblique) is expected to miss some time after injuring his oblique on Thursday against the Toronto Blue Jays. "We've just got to regroup and try figure out how we're going to win some ballgames and get through this," manager Dusty Baker said. Oblique injuries are usually pretty tricky to recover from, especially for a big power-hitting slugger like Alvarez, so fantasy managers should be preparing for an injured-list stint. The 25-year-old left-handed hitter will be tough to replace for the Astros and fantasy managers, as he's hitting .274 (55-for-201) with 11 doubles, 17 home runs, a league-leading 55 RBI and 41 runs in 56 games. For however long he's out, Chas McCormick and Corey Julks will see more playing time in the outfield.

Houston Astros outfielder/designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (oblique) exited Thursday's game against Toronto. The slugger lasted one at-bat before his night ended abruptly because of right oblique discomfort. Considering Alvarez is hitting .274 with 55 RBI and 17 home runs this season, the Astros won't take any chances. Unfortunately, that means he'll surely miss time, with a trip to the injured list a possibility. At any rate, an official update should come soon.

Houston Astros designated hitter/left fielder Yordan Alvarez went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer and an additional run scored in Friday's 6-2 win, topping the Los Angeles Angels. The 25-year-old has been remarkably consistent this year, having not gone longer than six games without a long ball and five games sans an RBI. Alvarez has cemented himself as perhaps fantasy's best punt-stolen-base asset. The former Silver Slugger is recording a top-10 overall standing with a .279 average, 37 runs scored, 15 RBI, and an MLB-leading 50 RBI. It's simply been another magnificent season for one of MLB's most feared hitters. Fantasy managers should continue to lock the lefty-hitting Alvarez into their regular lineups regardless of the matchup.

Houston Astros designated hitter/outfielder Yordan Alvarez had a huge game at the plate in Monday's 12-2 rout of the Brewers. Alvarez went 3-for-4 with a single, a solo home run, a grand slam, and a walk. The 25-year-old has performed as expected for fantasy managers, slashing .305/.399/.616 with 12 HR and 46 RBI in 178 plate appearances. He should be in fantasy managers' lineups at all times and is in line to be a top fantasy hitter once again this season.

Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and a strikeout in a 5-4 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday. Alvarez put the Astros on the board in the top of the first inning with a 417-foot bomb to center field off Angels' starter Griffin Canning. It was his only hit of the contest but it proved to be the difference in a one-run ball game. For the season, the 25-year-old slugger is slashing .283/.388/.558 with eight home runs and 34 RBI over 113 at-bats. Houston kicks off a three-game set with the White Sox on the road starting on Friday.