WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Yordan Alvarez says he still coming into form this spring. Most players are in early March, but the Astros slugger hasn’t had the luxury of taking it easy during the last two years. Last spring, an injured hand restricted him to seven Grapefruit League at-bats. He had 20 the year before.
Both brief buildups led to powerful starts. Alvarez had a.994 OPS in the first month of the 2022 season and a.931 OPS in the first month of the previous year. It raises the question of where Alvarez might be after a full spring when he faces the Yankees’ opening day starter on March 28 in Houston.
A Grapefruit League game versus the Nationals on Saturday was minor but significant in terms of his development. Alvarez had three hits: a single in the first inning, a flyball that carried to the warning track in centre field for an out on a windy day, and a home run to right field.
“Still trying to make a couple adjustments there at the plate,” Alvarez stated through an interpreter. “But I still feel pretty good.”
The home run was Alvarez’s first extra-base hit of the spring. Results aren’t important just now, but Luis Perdomo’s swing on a down-and-in pitch generated the type of arcing drive for which Alvarez is known.
“The funny thing is that if you ask him, he’s not feeling well yet,” manager Joe Espada remarked. “He feels like he’s pushing ahead, he’s not letting the ball go; you hear all of this from Yordan. He’s working extremely hard in the cage. But he still goes out and takes some excellent swings and smashes the ball a long way.”
Alvarez had several productive moments on Saturday. He advanced from first to third on Alex Bregman’s first-inning single. He made his second start at left field. In the fifth inning, he charged a single by Luis García Jr., who attempted to reach second base. Alvarez retired García with a short toss on the run.
The extent to which Alvarez will play left field this season remains unknown. Espada aims to give Alvarez more starts in left field, freeing up the DH spot for other players. He indicated Saturday that the frequency will be determined in part by how Alvarez’s body reacts to defensive innings.
“If he’s healthy and he could give us two, three times a week, some playing time in the outfield so I could DH someone else, I’ll do that,” he added. “But if he needs a few more days to DH — the most important thing is just keeping Yordan healthy for the whole season.”
Alvarez, who played 40 games in left field last season, said the decision will be Espada’s, but he still wants to
“Be out there.
Alvarez’s promotion to the second slot in Houston’s batting order appears less uncertain. He hasn’t hit anywhere else this spring. Saturday’s opening inning provided a preview of what Espada expects from the revamped lineup. José Altuve hit a leadoff home run. Alvarez and Bregman both singled. Kyle Tucker launched a three-run homer.
Altuve, as he often does, pounced on the first ball he saw from Nationals righthander Trevor Williams and homered. Alvarez took Williams’ next pitch up the middle for a single. Earlier, Alvarez joked that he needed to prepare to hit more swiftly when batting behind Altuve. He claimed on Saturday that he was getting used to it.
“Yeah, and behind him, I’m going to be swinging as well,” he continued. “They throw it over the plate, I’m going to be swinging as well.”
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