Houston Astros fans concerned as Yordan Alvarez once again dealing with left hand injury: "Prayers for the hamate" "Just have him ready for October"

Houston Astros heavy-hitter Yordan Alvarez is still dealing with soreness in his left hand. The 25-year-old will take a few days off just as the Astros are beginning their first full workouts this spring due to a hand injury from last season which still continues to be a problem.

Alvarez told reporters through a team interpreter:

"It did flare up a little bit in the offseason. I felt a little bit of discomfort, but it's something we're going to work on. I'm going to take the next couple of days off here, like I did in the offseason to prepare, but it's not something that's going to be an issue during the season."

The 2022 All-Star missed time last September with the mysterious injury. Yordan Alvarez has said that he has no idea how or when an injury may have occurred. He explained to reporters that the best treatment at this point is just to shut down and let the soreness subside.

"The easy solution for that is just rest. We decided it was better to lose a couple of days of hitting right now rather than the season."

Houston Astros fans are notably concerned about the physical condition of their outfielder/designated hitter. Alvarez finished third in the American League MVP voting behind Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani after hitting .306 with a 1.019 OPS, 37 home runs and 97 RBI in 2022.

Other Houston Astros fans are preaching calm at this hour. Yordan Alvarez has dealt with this before, and has still played an average of 140 games over the last two seasons.

Spring training isn't always a time of unbridled optimism. As players get themselves back into playing shape for the rigors of the season, there's always a good share of aches and pains.

For some Houston Astros fans, it's just a case of making sure Yordan Alvarez is back for the postseason. He brought the lumber last October, including a three-run home run in the AL Division Series against the Seattle Mariners.

That homer finished off a game-winning rally and made him only the second player in MLB postseason history to hit a walk-off home run with his team down to its final out.

Yordan Alvarez likely to play more outfield for Houston Astros in 2023

Yordan Alvarez #44 of the Houston Astros participates in the World Series workout day

With the Astros signing first baseman/designated hitter Jose Abreu as a free agent from the Chicago White Sox this winter, Alvarez is likely to see more time in the outfield this season. He played 77 games at DH and 56 in left field with Houston in 2022.