Houston Astros outfielder/designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (hand) is scheduled to take on-field batting practice on Friday, according to manager Dusty Baker. It's the first time that Alvarez will take on-field batting practice this spring. Alvarez has been held out of spring action due to a sore left hand, which is something he also dealt with in 2022. However, the Astros still expect him to be ready for Opening Day at the end of March. It's still a bit concerning for fantasy managers, though, and it's something to keep an eye on once the 2023 regular season begins. But when healthy, the 25-year-old left-handed slugger can be a beast at the plate and should be considered a top-10 fantasy selection in upcoming drafts.

Houston Astros outfielder/designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (hand) hit soft toss again on Sunday and felt good. Alvarez resumed swinging on Saturday and is expected to be ready for Opening Day, barring any setbacks with his sore left hand. It's been a little concerning for Alvarez, considering he dealt with soreness in both of his hands last year, too. It remains to be seen when he'll get into a Grapefruit League game, but for now, fantasy managers should still consider him in the first round of drafts as one of the best all-around hitters in the game.

Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker said that outfielder/designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (hand) began swinging a bat in the batting cages on Friday at spring training. Alvarez suffered from inflammation in both of his hands last year and hadn't swung a bat to this point in camp because of more soreness in his left hand. But general manager Dana Brown said that Alvarez is pain-free now, so he'll begin ramping up in preparation for Opening Day at the end of this month. It's unclear when the 25-year-old left-handed hitter will play in Grapefruit League games, but it's great news that he's swinging once again. If Alvarez is ready to go to open the regular season, he should be considered a top-10 fantasy asset in upcoming drafts.

Houston Astros outfielder/designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (hand) said that he hopes to start swinging a bat next week at spring training. General manager Dana Brown recently said that he was hoping Alvarez would be swinging by this weekend, so it appears the 25-year-old left-handed slugger is getting close. He's been held back in camp due to lingering left hand soreness. Alvarez dealt with soreness in both of his hands in 2022, so it's a bit concerning for fantasy managers with Opening Day quickly approaching. If he suffers a setback once he resumes swinging, there's a pretty good chance he won't be ready for the start of the season. When healthy, Alvarez is one of the best all-around hitters in the game and is a first-round target in fantasy drafts.

Houston Astros general manager Dana Brown said on the team's radio broadcast on Sunday that outfielder/designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (hand) will take some swings "maybe by next weekend." Soreness in Alvarez's left hand, which is also something he dealt with last year, has prevented him from swinging the bat in spring training to this point. The Astros remain optimistic that the 25-year-old left-handed slugger will be ready for Opening Day, but if he has any setbacks once he resumes swinging, his fantasy managers can probably kiss Opening Day goodbye. When he's healthy, Alvarez is an easy top-10 fantasy asset in one of the best lineups in baseball.

Houston Astros outfielder/designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (hand) still isn't swinging a bat at spring training, according to manager Dusty Baker. General manager Dana Brown said on Tuesday that Alvarez "should definitely be back for Opening Day," but the longer he goes without swinging, the greater the chance that he might need an injured list stint to open the 2023 season. The 25-year-old left-handed slugger is dealing with renewed soreness in his left hand after also dealing with the issue in 2022. Fantasy managers shouldn't drop Alvarez on their draft boards just yet, but it's becoming a bit concerning. As long as he'll be ready to go when the regular season begins at the end of March, Alvarez should be considered a top-10 fantasy pick in the first round of drafts.

Houston Astros general manager Dana Brown said that outfielder/designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (hand) "should definitely be back for Opening Day." "We feel totally confident that he'll be in games sometime midway through (spring training)," Brown said. Alvarez has been unable to swing a bat in spring training due to renewed left hand soreness, which was something he also dealt with in 2022. The Astros are taking a cautious approach in camp with one of the best overall hitters in baseball, so fantasy managers shouldn't be in a state of panic, at least not yet. RotoBaller currently has Alvarez ranked as a top-10 overall player heading into the 2023 season.

Houston Astros outfielder/designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (hand) sill isn't swinging a bat in spring training, according to manager Dusty Baker. Alvarez is dealing with left hand soreness in camp, which is something he also dealt with in 2022, so it's certainly something to keep a close eye on for one of the best all-around hitters in baseball. The 25-year-old left-handed slugger still has plenty of time to get ready for Opening Day at the end of March, but he'll need to resume baseball activities pretty soon. When healthy, Alvarez is a top-10 overall fantasy player. He made his first All-Star team in 2022 on his way to finishing the regular season with a .306/.406/.613 slash line with a 1.019 OPS, career-high 37 home runs, 97 RBI and 95 runs scored in 561 plate appearances over 135 games played.

Houston Astros outfielder/designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (hand) still isn't doing any on-field drills with the team at spring training, and manager Dusty Baker said on Friday that there isn't an update on Alvarez's progress or prognosis. The 25-year-old left-handed slugger is dealing with more soreness in his left hand, which is something he dealt with at times in 2022. It's still early in camp, spring games are kicking off this weekend, but this is certainly a situation to keep a close eye on for one of the best hitters in baseball. The former American League Rookie of the Year in 2019 made his first All-Star team last year by hitting .306/.406/.613 with a 1.019 OPS, career-high 37 home runs, 97 RBI and 95 runs scored in 135 games played. As long as Alvarez will be ready for Opening Day, he should be considered a top-10 fantasy player.

Houston Astros outfielder/designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (hand) said he isn't swinging a bat yet in camp as a precaution after his left hand injury flared up again. However, he hopes to resume swinging in the next few days. "I felt a little bit of discomfort but it's something we're going to work on. I'm going to take the next couple of days off here like I did in the offseason to prepare, but it's not going something that's going to be an issue during the season," Alvarez said. The 25-year-old lefty slugger went on the injured list at one point in 2022 due to hand soreness, so this is something to watch in spring training. When healthy, he's one of the best all-around hitters in baseball, but injuries are still something to worry about. RotoBaller has him ranked as the No. 8 overall fantasy player in 2023.

Houston Astros outfielder Yordan Alvarez is serving as the designated hitter and is batting third in Game 4 of the World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies and right-hander Aaron Nola on Wednesday. With Alvarez at DH, Aledmys Diaz will get the nod in left field and will hit eighth in the batting order. One of the best all-around hitters in the big leagues during the regular season, Alvarez hasn't been as strong with the lumber in the postseason, hitting .200 (8-for-40) with two home runs, nine RBI, seven runs scored, six walks and 12 strikeouts in 10 games. So far in the World Series, he's gone 1-for-11 with a double, RBI, two runs scored, two walks and four strikeouts. The Astros will need him to get hot if they want to come back in this series.

Houston Astros outfielder Yordan Alvarez will serve as the team's designated hitter and bat third in Game 2 of the American League Championship Series on Thursday against New York Yankees right-hander Luis Severino. Alvarez will return to the DH role and swap spots with Aledmys Diaz, who served as the DH in the Game 1 win on Wednesday. Diaz is starting in left field and hitting seventh. Alvarez, one of the best all-around hitters in baseball, went 0-for-2 with two walks and a strikeout in the 4-2 win over the Yankees in Game 1. In four playoff games so far this year, he's gone 4-for-17 (.235) with a double, two home runs, seven RBI, three runs scored and three walks.

Houston Astros designated hitter/outfielder Yordan Alvarez played the hero in Tuesday's American League Division Series Game 1 8-7 win over the Mariners. Alvarez went 3-for-5 with a single, a double, a walk-off three-run home run, and five RBI. The Mariners brought in Robbie Ray up by two with two outs in the ninth inning and runners on first and second to get the lefty-lefty matchup. This clearly did not work out, as Alvarez crushed a fastball into the right-field seats to complete the comeback and end the game. This level of production is what the Astros have come to expect from Alvarez, who slashed .306/.406/.613 with 37 HR and 97 RBI during the regular season.

Houston Astros outfielder and designated hitter Yordan Alvarez is getting the start in the outfield for the first game of the team's American League Division Series matchup with the Seattle Mariners and right-hander Logan Gilbert. Alvarez appeared in 135 games during the regular season, but only 56 of them came as an outfielder. The rest were appearances as designated hitter. Alvarez will hit third against Gilbert, a pitcher who he is a career .294 hitter against with a pair of home runs and a .368 on-base percentage in 19 career plate appearances. Trey Mancini is starting at designated hitter instead and batting seventh for the Astros.

Houston Astros outfielder/designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (ankle) is back in the starting lineup on Friday against the Tampa Bay Rays and right-hander Drew Rasmussen, serving as the designated hitter and batting third in the lineup. Alvarez didn't play on Wednesday due to a left ankle injury, but he'll be back in there after the team's off day on Thursday. Fantasy managers will want to get the 25-year-old All-Star slugger back into their lineups for the start of the weekend series against Tampa. He's currently riding a modest four-game hitting streak and has been mashing the ball this month to the tune of a .352 average (25-for-71) with six home runs, 16 RBI and 14 runs scored in 20 games.

Houston Astros outfielder/designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (ankle) is not in the starting lineup on Wednesday against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Alvarez departed Tuesday's game early due to a left ankle injury, but the good news is his X-rays came back negative. Fantasy managers should consider the 25-year-old left-handed slugger as day-to-day for now. The Astros will want him fully healthy for the start of the postseason, so don't be surprised if he sits out at least a few days. There's a chance he could be ready to go for the start of a series against the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday after an off day Thursday. Christian Vazquez is serving as the designated hitter and is batting fifth, while Chas McCormick is in left field and hitting seventh against Diamondbacks right-hander Zac Gallen.

Houston Astros outfielder/designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (ankle) exited Tuesday's 10-2 win over the Diamondbacks in the fifth inning with left ankle discomfort, per AT&T SportsNet's Julia Morales. Alvarez went 1-for-2 with a single and a strikeout before being replaced by David Hensley. The good news is that manager Dusty Baker said after the game that X-rays came back negative and that Alvarez should be ready to play again in a few days. This is huge for fantasy managers, as he has slashed an impressive .304/.407/.614 with 37 home runs and 96 RBI this season.

Houston Astros outfielder Yordan Alvarez is not in the starting lineup on Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Rays and left-hander Shane McClanahan. Alvarez is receiving a normal day of rest against the tough left-hander. He's been a must-start in fantasy all year, but especially of late, as he's hitting .370 (20-for-54) with six home runs, 14 RBI and 13 runs scored in 14 games this month. With the hot-hitting lefty on the bench, Aledmys Diaz will get the start in left field on Tuesday and will bat fifth against McClanahan. Diaz is hitting .269 (21-for-78) against southpaws in 2022, but with only four of his 12 home runs on the year. Plus, the matchup against the All-Star McClanahan isn't the most ideal for DFS.

Houston Astros outfielder Yordan Alvarez (hand) is back in left field and is hitting third on Thursday against the Oakland Athletics and right-hander James Kaprielian. Alvarez shot down reports on Wednesday that he was held out of the lineup due to more hand soreness. The 25-year-old left-handed slugger is a must-start in fantasy, so he should be returned to starting lineups everywhere on Thursday. Alvarez is currently slashing .295/.403/.598 with a 1.000 OPS, 33 home runs, 84 RBI, 84 runs scored and one stolen base in 410 at-bats for the Astros. The next home run he hits will set a new career-high.