May 25, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez looks on from the dugout during the game against the Seattle Mariners at Daikin Park Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Astros Superstar Yordan Alvarez Set To Begin Rehab Assignment

Originally posted on Houston Astros on SI | By Brad Wakai | Last updated Aug 17, 2025 1:57 PM ET

If the Houston Astros are going to make a deep run in the playoffs, they are going to need Yordan Alvarez to come back at some point this season.

The superstar slugger was in AL MVP conversations coming into the year, but he began this campaign poorly with a .210/.306/.340 slash line across his first 29 games; easily the worst numbers of his career.

But unfortunately for Alvarez and the Astros, he was never able to work out of that slump because he was placed on the 10-day injured list on May 5 with what was deemed to be right hand inflammation. Since that point, though, this saga has taken on a life of its own.

Alvarez hasn't played a game since, and it was later revealed that the slugger actually had a fracture in his hand, which pushed the recovery timeline back even further.

Astros Set Rehab Assignment Date for Alvarez

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Not being on the field hasn't been for a lack of trying, though. Alvarez has attempted to return on multiple occasions, only for him to still experience pain in his hand and get shut down by the training staff to ensure nothing else is wrong.

But at a certain point, if he was ever going to return this year, he was going to have to play through some of that pain when swinging the bat. And now, it seems like both parties are ready for him to get onto the field for game action on a rehab assignment.

Houston revealed that Alvarez will be sent to Double-A Corpus Christi on Tuesday. The hope is that everything goes well so he can get up to the Triple-A level as soon as possible and make his return for the Astros at a critical time.

Yordan Alvarez will begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Corpus Christi on Tuesday, Joe Espada said.
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) August 17, 2025

Getting Alvarez back would be huge for Houston, adding one of the best hitters in the sport when he's healthy to a lineup that is in desperate need of power and left-handed hitting.

While it's not clear how he's going to look if and when he's activated off the injured list, the track record the superstar has is enough to project that things are going to be drastically different for the Astros at the plate going forward.

Fans might have been annoyed a bit by this injury saga, with the team not helping themselves out when it comes to this matter by any means. But now that Alvarez is set to begin his rehab assignment, all eyes will be on how his body responds and if he'll be activated off the IL before the end of the year or not.