Yordan Alvarez returns to Houston Astros' lineup after two-game absence

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Yordan Alvarez returned to the Houston Astros‘ lineup  Sunday after missing two games with a sore right ankle, a welcome development for a team in the final stages of a division race.

Alvarez, who turned his ankle running the bases Thursday in Philadelphia, sat out the first two games against the Rays, in which the Astros’ offense totaled three runs. It marked the first time Alvarez, who leads the majors in OPS, missed back-to-back games this year. He played in 145 of Houston’s first 147 games.

“He’s feeling better, so he’s in there,” manager Joe Espada said prior to Sunday’s finale at Tampa Bay. “He’s in the cages, he’s doing some work, but right now it looks like he’s good to go.”

The Astros entered Sunday with a two-game lead in the American League West over the Rangers, plus the tiebreaker against Texas, and 13 games left on their regular-season schedule. Their offense has struggled since the Aug. 3 trade deadline, scoring three runs or fewer in 21 of 36 games from that date through Saturday.

Alvarez, who retains a shot at a Triple Crown, entered Sunday leading qualified American League hitters with a .310 batting average and second in home runs and RBIs. His 38 home runs trailed the Rays’ Junior Caminero (40) and his 96 RBIs trailed the Orioles’ Pete Alonso (99). Alvarez had three home runs and 12 RBIs over his last 34 games.

Subscribe

There’s more to Houston with the Chronicle. Subscribe today for just 25¢.

This article originally published at Yordan Alvarez returns to Houston Astros’ lineup after two-game absence.