The Houston Astros activated second baseman Jose Altuve and designated hitter Yordan Alvarez before Wednesday’s home game against the Texas Rangers.
Alvarez, 26, strained his right oblique on June 8 and has missed the past 39 games. He had a major league best 55 RBIs in 57 games when he was injured. He also is batting .277 with 17 homers.
Altuve, 33, injured his left oblique and hasn’t played since July 3, missing the last 17 games. He also missed the first 43 games with a fractured right thumb sustained in the World Baseball Classic in March. He is batting .264 with six homers and 18 RBIs in 32 games.
“It’s a good thing,” Astros general manager Dana Brown told MLB.com. “It feels like part of a trade. These guys that have been out for so much of the season, it feels like we’re acquiring two players, and that’s an impactful thing for this club and what they mean to this club.”
An eight-time All-Star and three-time batting champ, Altuve is a career .306 hitter with 198 homers and 714 RBIs in 1,610 games over 13 seasons with the Astros. He was the American League MVP in 2017 when he hit .346.
Alvarez, the American League Rookie of the Year in 2019, is batting .293 with 115 homers and 338 RBIs in 425 career games with the Astros. He is a two-time All-Star.
Infielders David Hensley and Bligh Madris were optioned to Triple-A Sugar Land in corresponding moves.
Hensley, 27, was batting .120 (10-for-83) with one homer and three RBIs in 29 games for the Astros. Madris, 27, was hitting .154 (4-for-26) in 12 games for Houston.
–Field Level Media