Yordan Alvarez debut was exactly what Astros fans needed after Altuve injury

Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez made his spring training debut on Thursday, and it was one that the fanbase can feel confident about.

The Houston Astros were dealt a significant blow to their starting lineup ahead of Opening Day. Playing for Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic, second baseman Jose Altuve suffered a broken right thumb on a pitch thrown by USA’s Daniel Bard, and it is expected to keep him out for the first two months of the season.

With Opening Day on March 30, the Astros fanbase did get some good news beforehand.

On Thursday night, Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez made his spring training debut, as he was dealing with a sore left hand. While he did only go 0-for-3 in the game against the Washington Nationals, he did make some solid, loud contact on two fly balls.

Astros: Yordan Alvarez has solid spring training debut, despite lack of hits

“It felt good to make contact early in the at-bats, and I felt like the swing was there,” Alvarez said, via MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart. “I felt good. Obviously, I think when I first got in there, I thought I was going to be a little more lost at the plate [after] not seeing pitchers for a couple of months, but [the swings] both felt pretty [good], and I know the season is approaching.”

This is certainly good news for the Astros, but fans will be wondering if he will be available for Opening Day on March 30 against the Chicago White Sox.

Alvarez is coming off of a spectacular 2022 season. He made the All-Star Game and won the Silver Slugger award for the first time of his career, and finished third in AL MVP award voting. In 135 games played, he recorded a .306 batting average, .406 on-base percentage, .613 slugging percentage, 37 home runs, 97 RBI and 144 hits.

In the postseason, Alvarez slashed .192/.311/.423 while recording three home runs, nine runs scored, 10 hits, and 14 RBI. One of those home runs helped the Astros take Game 6 of the World Series.

After not playing throughout the entire spring, Alvarez’s first game provided promise for the Astros, as they navigate the first two months of the upcoming season without Altuve.