The defending World Series champion Houston Astros are having a rough time at the moment.
Injuries have caused the team a great many problems, despite them being right in the thick of the postseason chase.
They were without Jose Altuve for almost two months and also are missing Lance McCullers Jr.
Now, they are going to be without slugger and MVP candidate Yordan Alvarez for quite a while.
The 25-year-old slugger injured his oblique and was placed on the injured list last Friday.
Bob Nightengale provided an unfortunate update on the slugger via Twitter, revealing that he will be out for roughly 4-6 weeks.
Tough news for the Houston #Astros, who were without Jose Altuve for 2 months, still don’t have Michael Brantley, and now are without MVP candidate Yordan Alvarez for 4-6 weeks, targeting late July.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) June 14, 2023
Nightengale also revealed that Alvarez is likely to return in late July.
Either way, this is a tough break for the Astros, who have dealt with multiple injury issues already this season.
In 202 at-bats this season, the slugger is hitting at a .277 clip with 17 home runs, 55 RBI, and a .977 OPS.
Alvarez earned Rookie of the Year honors back in 2019.
He has also been an All-Star and an ALCS MVP and was a key part of the Astros’ run to their second World Series title last October.
Any time without the slugger is certainly not good news for the Astros.
Alvarez is also slugging .589 this season and is reaching base at a .388 clip.
The defending World Series champions are 3.5 games back of the Texas Rangers in the American League West and currently hold a one-game lead over the Los Angeles Angels for the third Wild Card spot in the AL.
NEXT: Astros Could Lose Their Best Hitter To The Injured List
