The Astros announced Friday that they’ve activated designated hitter Yordan Alvarez from the injured list. Righty Nivaldo Rodriguez was optioned to the team’s alternate training site to make space on the 28-man roster. This will mark the 2020 debut for Alvarez, last year’s American League Rookie of the Year. The 23-year-old has yet to suit up for the ’Stros after also missing all of Summer Camp.
Alvarez burst onto the scene in 2019, appearing in 87 games down the stretch and overpowering opposing pitchers with a gaudy .313/.412/.655 batting line, 27 home runs and 26 doubles in just 369 trips to the plate. He served primarily as a designated hitter, which is likely to be his primary role with the club moving forward, but Alvarez does experience at first base and in left field. Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle tweets, however, that Astros skipper Dusty Baker said this week that Alvarez won’t be playing the outfield when he returns. That could make it tough to get Alvarez and Michael Brantley in the lineup early, as Brantley has been hobbled by a quadriceps issue and working as the Houston DH recently.
The return of Alvarez is a boon for an Astros roster that has been ravaged by injury and underperformance throughout the season. Justin Verlander is sidelined for a yet-to-be-determined chunk of time owing to a forearm strain, and closer Roberto Osuna is dealing with a UCL injury that could necessitate Tommy John surgery. Pitchers Jose Urquidy, Brad Peacock, Austin Pruitt, Rogelio Armenteros, Joe Biagini and Cionel Perez are all on the injured list as well, and star center fielder George Springer has been slowed by a wrist strain over the past week.
The result is an Astros club that currently sits third in the AL West at 8-10. Houston’s collective .238/.330/.403 batting line translates to a 106 wRC+ that ranks ninth among big league teams. The pitching staff ranks 11th in ERA (4.09) but 20th in FIP (4.46) and 25th in xFIP (4.77). The Astros trail the division-leading Athletics (13-6) by four and a half games and the second-place Rangers (8-9) by half a game.
And we still have no idea wtf happened to him right?? If it was covid case he’s lagging others by a pretty extreme amount, so I assume not that.
I mean, everyone is effected different by COVID-19, you can’t just assume that everyone’s recovery rate is the same. It can linger for some people, so I’m not sure you can assume and say “well the other guys recovered by now, he should too”
Fair, but he hasn’t been gearing up on site for long right? That was my other line of thinking there, he’d presumably need a longer ramp up if he had gotten a reaaaaaly bad case.
Had to have been COVID. Every other kind of injury, illness, or unrelated things, like domestic situations, visa issues etc. is reported on. The fact that they were silent makes me believe it couldn’t have been anything other than COVID.
or they’re keeping quiet on all of those things so as to make it harder to assume
That’s what I was thinking. What’s the point if covid is the only thing you’re silent for lol
Except for Urquidy I believe every other player’s injuries have been identified. It doesn’t mean he had it. Maybe he was exposed to it and had to do a 14 day quarantine.
Pretty sure he tripped on a trash can and then banged his head on another trash can. He’s around a lot of trash in that Astros clubhouse.
Dumb, you are trying too hard.
Expecting something along the lines of when Thor showed up in Wankanda in Infinity War…
Hopefully he goes for the head…
Haha love it!
Noah Syndergaard was in that movie?
I remember the last series in Anaheim where this guy struck out 7 times in 11 ABs and chased everything. I wondered how he was so good… Now we know.
And to those that think knowing what’s coming at home doesn’t help on the road, you are flat out wrong. If you don’t chase pitches at home, you are not going to get those pitches on the road. What you do at home affects the pitches you receive on the road.
And everybody stood up and clapped.
He wasn’t on either the 2017 or 2018 team, not that it even lasted long in 2018. I don’t know why this is so hard for people.
It didn’t just stop. You think they just gained a conscience?
Yes I do. They were granted immunity and could have said we cheated in ‘18 and ‘19 with no penalty. But they said they stopped at the beginning of ‘18.
Players that have left the team the last couple of years have said the same thing, and they have no reason to lie. Cole said they didn’t cheat while he was with the Astros. Guess he’s a liar.
I should add that MLB told them if they can prove they lied in their testimony, they would be severely punished. With guys like Cole, Kuechel, Marwin Gonzales, Will Harris, and others leaving the franchise, you have to think if they were cheating in ‘18 or ‘19 someone would have admitted it. But Manfred said that wasn’t the case and they have no proof to the contrary.
So people who have World Series rings and playoffs shares have no reason to lie.
OK.
They stopped because they were really good people. Got it.
So your logic is they admitted to cheating in ‘17 when they won the WS, but they lied about cheating in ‘18 and ‘19 when they didn’t win the WS.
And they lied about ‘18 and ‘19 because they were worried about having their WS stripped?
Ok. Makes perfect sense.
No
1) The 2 biggest people driving the system left the team- Carlis Beltran and Alex Cora
2) They determined that the system simply wasn’t effective (proven by stats and results since).
3) MLB gave them immunity on condition that if they lied the hammer would fall on them (admittedly- who really knows if/what the significance of that really would be)
All this adds up to no cheating after the start of 2018.
Admittedly I’m a fan, but it just makes too much sense that the system ended. Any future sign stealing would be within rules and comparable to what other teams are doing.
No way a player risks his career by lying. Especially when any other player could tell all and totally wreck his career.
Fiers busted them and didn’t come out publicly. he did it privately to his team to let them know they had their pitches. This allowed the A’s to do something about it.
So you think they stopped after he left? Why would they admit something that happened after Fiers left? So they could be disgraced more?
And Altuve knew what pitch was coming against Chapman, and the reason he gave for not having his shirt ripped off was preposterous. But you can believe anything you want, but they CLEARLY do no warrant your trust, but they warrant my distrust.
You’re grasping at straws halo. Beltran and Maybin were literally on the Yankees last year. Even if they were stealing signs, you think they were going to let them? That pitch was the definition of a hanging meatball, don’t act as though every star player wouldn’t hit that out.
Not only was it a hanging meatball, everyone knew he was going to throw a slider. He was struggling to locate his fastball. He just left the slider too high, and a great hitter punished it. It happens all the time.
Very good points, but then why mouth to his team while rounding third he’s wearing it; all while shaking his head not to rip his shirt off? And, keep in mind, Beltran isn’t going to say anything and draw more attention to his cheating, especially with the goal of becoming a manager. Food for thought
We don’t know what he really said, other than not to rip his shirt off. Maybe he got a bad tattoo like Correa said. Maybe his wife didn’t like when they ripped his shirt off. Maybe a combination of both. Who knows? But that isn’t proof he was wearing a buzzer. Haha
And why wouldn’t Cole, or Will Harris admit to MLB investigators that the Astros were cheating in ‘18 and ‘19? Both left the franchise. Both are on contending teams that could face the Astros again. And both would be subject to severe penalties if it comes out that they lied about the cheating. It makes absolutely no sense for them to keep quiet. They gain nothing from it, and risk everything.
But hey, the Astros have been better than the Yankees so they must have cheated in ‘18 and ‘19.
Btw, didn’t the same twitter account that accused Altuve, also accuse Torres as well? Wouldn’t that be cheating as well? Or is the twitter account not reliable all of a sudden?
Because people are either stupid or need an excuse for why the Astros have owned their team.
Actually it’s probably both.
takeitback
They want to believe it’s true. They want to believe their seasons are legitimate. And people will believe anything they want to believe.
They didn’t just gain a conscience.
And you will believe what ever you want even without evidence. Are we supposed to believe that’s how a person with a conscience behaves? They said they quit in early 2018 because it was ineffective.
I have evidence. You may not like the evidence, but I have evidence.
Altuve, Chapman is evidence. They are established cheaters and liars, that’s evidence.
Lol! You have ZERO evidence with Altuve/Chapman! You have a theory that’s it.
Evidence is based in facts, which you definitely don’t have.
Best part about that is the Twitter account that accused Altuve accused Torres as well…
Yep. And Yankee fans just ignore that. Haha.
This m-m-m-m-made my eyes rain …
they used the sign research both at home and on the road. that is why they werent any worse on the road. it has nothing to do with them being pitched to differently.
Really, so this didn’t affect scouting? So scouting reports don’t say a player will chase hard breaking balls out of the zone?
Good to know.
As I said, people will believe anything they want to believe.
You included.
Lol. That isn’t cheating. Every single team used pitch/sign research because it could be done after the game. Just accept they were even better on the road when they didn’t cheat.
Welcome back Yordan! 1st Ab=1st HR of the season!
Home run in his first at bat of the season. So I’m guessing he must have cheated, right?