Major Astros injury could impact AL playoff race

The Houston Astros are in a fierce competition for both an American League playoff spot as well as a potential American League West crown. If they are going to get one, or both, they are likely going to have to do so without one of their best and most impactful hitters for a significant part of the remaining regular-season schedule. 

Yordan Alvarez sidelined again

Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez is going to be sidelined for "a while" due to a significant left ankle sprain, manager Joe Espada announced on Tuesday.

Alvarez was injured while crossing home plate and could potentially miss the remainder of the regular season. 

"This is going to keep him out for a while," Espada said, via ESPN. "Let's not get into days, weeks, any of that. We are going to take one day at a time, but this is going to take some time to heal."

The words "a while" and "it's going to take some time" are not exactly encouraging for the Astros, because there are only two weeks remaining in the regular season. It's also frustrating for the Astros because Alvarez has already missed more than 100 games this season due to a fractured right hand. When he has played this season, he is hitting .273 with six home runs and 27 RBI in 48 games. He also has a .797 OPS.

When healthy, Alvarez is one of the league's elite left-handed power hitters and hit at least 30 home runs in each of the past four seasons. He also owns a .961 OPS for his career, which is an MVP-level of production at the plate. 

For as good as he has been in the regular season, he has also been a monster in the playoffs throughout his career with a .944 career OPS in the postseason. 

AL West is still within reach for Astros

If there is a silver lining in this for the Astros it is the fact they have not had Alvarez for most of the season and still managed to hang in the playoff race. It would just make their quest to clinch a spot a lot easier if he were there over the next couple of weeks.

Entering play on Tuesday, Houston trailed the Seattle Mariners by half a game in the American League West race. The two teams play a three-game series this weekend in Houston.

The Astros also owned the third and final wild-card spot in the American League, holding a three-game lead over the Cleveland Guardians. A playoff spot should still be secure, but the division is almost certainly what they want.