MLB Player News

Alvarez went 1-for-4 with a homer, four RBI and a hit by pitch in Friday's 11-1 win over the Mariners.

Alvarez launched a three-run homer as part of the Astros' nine-run first inning. The designated hitter picked up his fourth RBI of the night when he was hit by a pitch from Mariners reliever Yohan Ramirez in the fifth. In 87 games last season, Alvarez hit .313 with 27 homers, 78 RBI and 58 runs scored. His bat is a big addition to the heart of the Astros' order.

Alvarez revealed Friday that his undisclosed absence for the entirety of summer camp was due to a positive COVID-19 test, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

The Astros weren't legally allowed to reveal the reason for Alvarez's absence due to privacy concerns, though that lack of information was a very common pattern regarding players who had tested positive, so the news is hardly a surprise. The young slugger didn't experience symptoms worse than headaches, but he still had to spend three weeks building up at the team's alternate training site once he was cleared for baseball activity. He should be close to the everyday designated hitter for Houston moving forward.

Vogelbach isn't in the lineup Friday against the Astros.

Vogelbach smacked a two-run home run Wednesday, but he'll take a seat for the series opener against Houston. Tim Lopes will take over as the designated hitter and bat sixth.

Brantley is not in the lineup for Friday's game against Seattle, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The return of Yordan Alvarez (undisclosed) will have an effect on Brantley's playing time, as he'd been the Astros' primary designated hitter, filling the role in 10 of the season's first 18 games. He'll likely still see playing time in left field, though he'll have to compete with Kyle Tucker, who starts there Friday.

Alvarez will bat fifth as the designated hitter in his season debut Friday against the Mariners, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Alvarez was out for the entirety of camp for undisclosed reasons but spent the last three weeks ramping up at the Astros' secondary site. He should serve as the team's everyday designated hitter going forward, though it's possible he gets a few extra off days early on to ease him back into game action.

Canha is likely to shift over to center field during Ramon Laureano's four-game suspension, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Canha is a versatile veteran with 139 games of major-league experience in center, so he's a natural candidate to fill in. The 31-year-old is hitting a pedestrian .242 over his first 78 plate appearances, but he's also sporting an impressive .385 on-base percentage thanks to an elevated 14.1 percent walk rate.

Alvarez (undisclosed) was activated from the injured list Friday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Alvarez missed all of camp for undisclosed reasons, but he's now ready to go three weeks after resuming baseball activities. The young slugger hit a remarkable .313/.412/.655 with 27 homers in just 87 games in his debut season last year, though whether or not he'll be able to immediately return to that level following the long layoff remains to be seen. Once he's fully up to speed, he should be the Astros' everyday designated hitter, forcing Kyle Tucker and Michael Brantley to compete for time in left field.

Choi is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Red Sox, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Choi will take a seat after going 2-for-12 with a double, three walks, an RBI and a run scored while starting at first base in the first three games of the series in Boston. Jose Martinez will fill in for Choi and bat second Thursday.

Vogelbach went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run and a walk in Wednesday's loss to the Rangers.

Vogelbach reached base twice, and the slugger has reached base in seven of his last nine contests -- he is only hitting .138 but owns a .306 on-base percentage with two homers and four RBI in that stretch. Vogelbach is never going to hit for average, but he should retain some value in deep leagues due to his power.

Martinez went 1-for-4 with a grand slam in Wednesday's 9-5 loss to the Rays.

After going 14 games without a long ball to begin the season, Martinez now has homers in two of his last three. Earlier this season, Martinez lamented MLB's new restrictions on communal video terminals. He told Alex Speier of the Boston Globe, "In the past I probably already would have been able to get in the video room, break [struggling teammate Andrew Benintendi's] swing down, look at it, do some comparisons. It's kind of what I do for most of the guys on the team. We don't have access to any of that stuff anymore. It's kind of everyone on their own. Survivor." While Martinez can no longer go to the video terminal in the clubhouse during games to examine the mechanics of his swing and make adjustments, this is a player coming off six straight highly-productive seasons and we expect he will be able to make do.