Astros place Alvarez on IL with hand inflammation

The Houston Astros placed slugger Yordan Alvarez on the injured list with right hand inflammation, the club announced Monday.

Catcher César Salazar was recalled in a corresponding roster move.

Alvarez missed the last two games of Houston's weekend series against the Chicago White Sox.

"This guy has been such a good hitter and with the way he uses his hands, we just have to make sure it (isn’t) prolonged and gets to a point where he misses a long period of time," Astros manager Joe Espada said, according to Chandler Rome of The Athletic.

The 27-year-old had an IL stint for the same injury in 2022. He ended up missing just under two weeks of action.

Alvarez is off to a slow start at the plate this season, slashing .210/.306/.340 with three home runs, four doubles, and 18 RBIs in 29 games.

The Astros have struggled as a team to generate offense, sitting 20th in the league in runs, 21st in home runs, and 19th in OPS so far this year.

Salazar, 29, played 12 games for the Astros in 2024, hitting .320 with two doubles, eight RBIs, and five runs scored.