Yordan Alvarez Fantasy Stats

Houston Astros outfielder Yordan Alvarez, who was in the designated hitter spot on Opening Day on Thursday, will shift to left field on Friday against the Los Angeles Angels and left-hander Yusei Kikuchi, according to MLB.com. With shortstop Jeremy Pena (finger) back, Carlos Correa is shifting to third base, pushing Isaac Paredes to DH. Alvarez will bat out of the two-hole. Despite the lefty-on-lefty matchup for Alvarez in Game 2 of the regular season, he should be left in all starting fantasy lineups, as he's hit .357 against Kikuchi in his career with a 1.143 OPS, three home runs, and nine RBI in 28 at-bats. The 28-year-old Cuban went 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout in Thursday's 3-0 loss, but he had what looked to be a no-doubt home run taken away from him when the ball hit the rafters at Daikin Park. Alvarez is a three-time All-Star who had established himself as one of the best all-around hitters in baseball before being limited to only 48 games due to injury in 2025. He could see plenty of time in left field this year (if he's healthy) if the Astros want to keep Paredes' bat in the lineup.

Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez appears to be fully healthy heading into the regular season. Last year, Alvarez was limited to 47 games due to a fractured hand and ankle sprain. When healthy, Alvarez posted solid numbers, but the Astros are hopeful to get a full season from him in 2026. Recently, Alvarez said that his swing is feeling pretty good right now and that he's almost back to normal. So far this spring, Alvarez is slashing .316/.350/.579 with one home run and four RBI in seven games. Currently, Alvarez is sitting around 30.0 ADP, which seems like a fair spot for him.

Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez is fully healthy ahead of the 2026 season, and he's likely ready to put last year's two injuries behind him. Alvarez missed more than 100 games in 2025 due to a fractured left hand and right ankle sprain. As a result, he produced just six home runs and 118 wRC+ with a 14.1% walk rate and a 16.6% strikeout rate. The discipline numbers are impressive, and we expect that he can return to his 30-plus-homer form if he stays healthy for most of the 2026 season. He has appeared in just six games this spring; he went 1-for-13 with five strikeouts over the first five contests, but then delivered an impressive 3-for-3 showing with a double on Thursday. We're not going to put much stock in spring stats good or bad and the main takeaway should be that Alvarez is healthy and ready to contribute. He offers significant power upside with both outfield and designated hitter eligibility.

Houston Astros designated hitter/outfielder Yordan Alvarez is making his Grapefruit League debut on Monday against the Washington Nationals, serving as the DH and batting second, according to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. Alvarez isn't dealing with an injury, but the Astros chose to slow-play him this spring after he was limited to 48 games in 2025 due to ankle and hand injuries. To keep the 28-year-old left-handed slugger healthy all year, the Astros plan on using him primarily as a DH this year, while occasionally giving him some action in left field. The Cuban slugger made the All-Star team for three straight years from 2022 to 2024 and was annually one of the best all-around hitters in the game before struggling with injuries last year. Alvarez reached the 30-homer mark for four straight seasons from 2021-24, and he could easily bounce back in the power department in 2026 if he stays on the field.

Houston Astros manager Joe Espada said on MLB Network on Thursday that designated hitter Yordan Alvarez will see time in left field this season. Espada discussed how Alvarez enjoys playing left field, so the skipper believes it's important to get him some time on defense. It also allows the Astros to get some other players looks in the DH spot. It's unclear if it will be enough to give the Cuban left-handed slugger outfield eligibility in fantasy leagues, but if it is, it will make Alvarez even more attractive as a potential bounce-back candidate after his injury-plagued 2025 season. The 28-year-old three-time All-Star and former American League Rookie of the Year only played in 48 games and hit .273/.367/.430 with a career-worst .797 OPS, six home runs, 27 RBI, and 17 runs scored. Durability is the issue for Alvarez, but if he can stay healthy, he could easily post his fifth 30-homer season.

Houston Astros designated hitter/outfielder Yordan Alvarez will make his Grapefruit League debut next week, according to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. Alvarez is fully healthy this spring, but the Astros are easing him into game action after he was limited to only 48 games in 2025 due to injuries. The three-time All-Star is also expected to primarily serve as the DH for the Astros in 2026 as a way for the team to try to keep him healthy all year. Before ankle and hand injuries slowed him down last year, Alvarez had four straight 30-homer seasons as one of the best all-around hitters in the game. The left-handed Cuban slugger finished 2025 with a .273/.367/.430 slash line, .797 OPS, six home runs, 27 RBI, and 17 runs scored in his 165 at-bats. Alvarez's injuries last year have dropped his ADP in fantasy drafts, potentially making him a discount, but durability concerns are more of a concern than ever.

Houston Astros manager Joe Espada said that designated hitter/outfielder Yordan Alvarez will make his spring training debut "a little bit later" due to normal buildup, per Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle. While it does not seem as though Alvarez's Opening Day availability is in doubt, the 28-year-old's health is always worth monitoring. Alvarez has reached 600 plate appearances just once in seven MLB seasons, and he played in just 48 games in 2025 due to hand and ankle injuries. Alvarez's numbers were also down across the board in 2025, as he hit .273/.367/.430 with six home runs, 27 RBI, and 17 runs scored across 199 plate appearances. However, he owns an elite career slash line of .297/.389/.573 and still posted a 52.9% hard-hit rate in 2025. There's little reason to believe that Alvarez will not still be one of the game's best hitters when healthy in 2026, but fantasy managers may be wise to plan for him to miss some time.

Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez could see time in left field, given Houston's current outfield situation. Chandler Rome of The Athletic reported that manager Joe Espada has noted that Alvarez will see time in left field this season, but it is still unclear how often. Alvarez has only eclipsed the 50-game mark in the outfield twice in his career and is coming off an injury-plagued 2025 campaign. While it is expected he sees most of the time at DH, given Houston's lack of answers in the outfield, the slugger could find himself on defense more than expected. Currently, Cam Smith, Joey Loperfido, and Zach Cole are expected to compete for the starting corner spots, but none have shown any sustained production in the big leagues. Alvarez played in only 48 games last summer but held an elite .988 OPS from 2022 through 2024. While the 28-year-old only has utility eligibility on most platforms, this recent update suggests he may gain outfield eligibility much sooner than expected, which would significantly boost his fantasy value.

Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (ankle) said that he is pain-free and back to 100 percent as spring training gets underway, according to Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle. "Right now I feel great," Alvarez said. "No pain right now." The slugger landed on the injured list with a left ankle sprain back in September, and he didn't return for the rest of the season. He had missed a previous portion of the campaign with right hand inflammation. Across just 48 games in 2025, he slashed .273/.367/.430 with six home runs, a 14.1% walk rate, a 16.6% strikeout rate, and 118 wRC+. He had posted at least 167 wRC+ in each of the three seasons before that, so it's safe to say that Alvarez is looking to get back to his fully-healthy, pre-2025 form. He currently ranks as the #11 outfielder in RotoBaller's latest fantasy baseball draft rankings for 2026.

Houston Astros outfielder Yordan Alvarez will reportedly play some left field this upcoming season. According to Chandler Rome, Alvarez will see time in left field, but will mostly serve as the designated hitter. This isn't shocking news, given Alvarez was limited to 48 games due to injuries last season. The Astros keeping Alvarez as the DH is the best way to protect him from injury. Alvarez played 15 games in left field in 2025 and 53 games in the outfield during the 2024 campaign. The 28-year-old isn't exactly known for his defensive ability, so keeping him at DH for the majority of the games makes sense. He's an elite player when healthy, so hopefully, fantasy managers will get a full season from Alvarez in 2026.