Yordan Alvarez Offers Nightmare Injury Update on His Injured Hand

When the Houston Astros put Yordan Alvarez on the 10-day injured list on May 5 with what was deemed right hand inflammation, the hope was this stint would allow his body to get 100% healthy while also providing him a reset at the plate.

The superstar slugger had not looked like himself to start the year, and it seems like this hand issue is a major reason for that.

What was expected to be a minimal time on the shelf has turned into a long stay.

But during this past weekend, manager Joe Espada provided some optimism that Alvarez could be returning in short time, only to have that notion completely quelled by the slugger himself with his latest comments.

According to Matt Kawahara of The Houston Chronicle, Alvarez stated that he's still having pain whenever he swings the bat, and while it's "getting better, a lot better," he is not pain-free when hitting off a tee.

That is a massive development when it comes to his return timeline.

The Astros are not going to push him to a return until he is fully healthy, and with his diagnosis being upgraded to having a strain in his right hand, it's not clear when he will reach that point.

To make matters even more complicated, this is something that has been affecting him for a while.

"It was affecting me," Alvarez stated. "Not only the pain in the hand, but it was also affecting me mentally."

Combine that comment with the one about him still having pain in his hand when swinging, and this is starting to feel like a lengthier absence than the anticipated return that was projected to come later in May.

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