Astros' Yordan Alvarez out indefinitely with ankle sprain

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HOUSTON (AP) — Houston slugger Yordan Alvarez has a “pretty significant” ankle sprain that is going to keep him out indefinitely, manager Joe Espada said Tuesday.

Alvarez was injured when he turned his left ankle at home plate after scoring in the first inning of Houston’s 6-3 win over the Texas Rangers on Monday night. He had imaging done Tuesday and Espada gave an update on his condition before the series continued Tuesday.

“This is going to keep him out for a while,” Espada said. “Let’s not get into days, weeks, any of that. We are going to take one day at a time, but this is going to take some time to heal."

Espada refused to say if the team planned to place Alvarez on the injured list.

“One day at a time,” he said. "I’m not going to give you days, weeks, what we’re going to do next. You’re just going to have to sit down and wait.”

After scoring from first base on a throwing error by Rangers pitcher Jack Leiter on Carlos Correa’s infield single in the first inning, Alvarez turned his ankle and hobbled toward the dugout. He was tended to by an athletic trainer outside the Astros’ dugout and then helped down the steps.

It’s a big blow to a team that is fighting for a spot in the postseason with less than two weeks left in the regular season. Monday night’s win increased Houston’s lead for the final American League wild card to three games over Cleveland and Texas. The Astros pulled within a half-game of Seattle for first place in the AL West.

“We need him in there, but those are the things that we can’t control,” Espada said. “It’s a freak accident that happens on a baseball field and that’s not what we need right now. But we do have guys here that understand the situation that we’re in. We’ve got talent. We’ve got guys that want it. We’ve got guys that can fight and get us through this stretch.”

Alvarez was not in the clubhouse while reporters were allowed in Tuesday and was not made available to the media. But he was seen leaving the clubhouse on a crutch with a boot on his left foot Monday night.

A three-time All-Star and the 2019 AL Rookie of the Year, Alvarez is batting .273 with six home runs and 27 RBIs. He’s been limited to 48 games this season because of a broken right hand that forced him to miss 101 games.

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