Injuries Hampering Astros Depth Amid Slow Start

The injury bug continues to hamper the defending World Series champion Houston Astros.

Yordan Alvarez twisted his left ankle on an RBI single in the eighth inning of Tuesday’s 4-2 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays which dropped the Astros to 8-10.

Kyle Tucker also fouled a ball off his right knee and flopped to the ground.

Jose Altuve and Lance McCullers are currently sidelined and center fielder Chas McCormick was placed on the 10-day injured list on Tuesday.

Alvarez has reached base in all 16 games he has played this year. He was lifted for a pinch runner after a single in the eighth inning.

“He had to get in and get some ice on it before the swelling started,” manager Dusty Baker said. “We have to take care of him.”

The good news with Tucker was that he remained in the game and hit an RBI single after dusting himself off.

McCormick, who is dealing with both vision and back issues, began the season with a .275 average, two home runs, four stolen bases and nine RBI.

“I think he’s going to be fine,” general manager Dana Brown said of McCormick. “I talked to him, he was walking around fine in the trainer’s room. His energy was good, he’s still flexible.”

Rylan Bannon, who made his Major League debut last year and had 15 plate appearances with the Baltimore Orioles, is 8-for-42 at Triple-A Sugar Land this season. Bannon was recalled to take McCormick’s roster spot.

Meanwhile, Altuve could possibly return sooner than the eight weeks he was scheduled to be out with a fractured right thumb.

“He’s doing well,” Brown said of Altuve. “I was in the trainer’s room with him (Tuesday) and I was watching him doing his thumb exercise. I think he’s on a track that it could be sooner than we thought, but he’s still got to get the X-ray and evaluation of the X-ray and we'll know more. … We’re hoping that it’s sooner than later.”

Left fielder Michael Brantley (shoulder) could play a rehab game as early as Sunday and his return to the Astros is expected in early May.

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