MLB Player News

Alvarez is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rockies, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Though he was activated from the COVID-19 injured list Tuesday, Alvarez will remain on the bench for a second straight day since the Astros don't have the designated hitter available in a National League park. Alvarez should serve as the Astros' top option off the bench for pinch-hitting duties Wednesday before re-entering the starting nine in Thursday's series opener against the Angels.

Alvarez entered Tuesday's game as a pinch hitter and grounded out to end Houston's 6-2 loss to Colorado.

Alvarez returned to action after missing the last four games while on the COVID-19 protocols list. Since the Astros are playing in a National League city, the DH is not in effect, and he came off the bench. Presumably, he will not start Wednesday's game and resume designated hitter duties when Houston returns home for Thursday's game against the Angels.

Solak went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in the 6-2 loss Tuesday against the Angels.

After starting the season slow, Solak has cut his strikeout rate down and is on a six-game hitting streak during which he's slugged three homers and hit .455. Thursday's walk was only his fourth of the season, but the 26-year-old has been adept at putting the ball in play over the last week.

Ohtani pitched four scoreless innings during which he allowed one hit and six walks and recorded seven strikeouts in a win over the Rangers on Tuesday. He did not factor in the decision.

There were two sides to Ohtani's story Tuesday. He managed to get through four innings on his limited pitch count without allowing any runs and fanning seven. However, his six walks are concerning. The two-way player has struggled in the past with command issues and his high walk rate was therefore concerning, especially coming against one of the worst offenses in the league. He has 11 walks in 8.2 innings this season.

Brantley went 3-for-3 with a walk and a run scored in Tuesday's loss to Colorado.

Houston managed only five hits in the contest, and Brantley was responsible for three of them. He picked up his third three-hit game of the campaign while taking his first walk since Opening Day. Brantley has been solid contributor near the top of the lineup this season, slashing .327/.365/.592 across 52 plate appearances.

Reyes went 3-for-4 with a walk, an RBI and a run during Tuesday's 8-5 loss to the White Sox.

The 25-year-old was mired in an 0-for-13 slump before sitting out his first game of the season Friday, but he's 5-for-12 with a double, an RBI and a run over the past three games. Reyes has a .273/.317/.545 slash line with four home runs, three doubles, nine RBI, eight runs and 18 strikeouts through 15 games.

Mercedes left Tuesday's game against Cleveland after fouling a ball off his left foot, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

The 28-year-old went 0-for-2 with a strikeout before being replaced in the field during the fifth inning after fouling a ball off his foot earlier in the contest. Mercedes could take a seat for Wednesday's series finale to provide two full days of rest with a scheduled off day Thursday.

Alvarez (COVID-19 injured list) was activated but is not starting Tuesday in Coors Field, Julia Morales of AT&T SportsNet Southwest reports.

With the Astros playing in a National League park, Alvarez will only serve as a pinch hitter in his return from the IL. He should resume his designated hitter duties Thursday at home against the Angels.

Cabrera (biceps) may be able to take live batting practice by the end of the week, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

He is taking batting practice in the cage Tuesday, and it sounds like Cabrera won't be able to return until early next week at the earliest. In the meantime, Renato Nunez will serve as the primary designated hitter.

Rooker (neck) was activated from the 10-day injured list prior to Tuesday's game in Oakland, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

The timing worked out well for Rooker, who had been traveling with the team, as Max Kepler was placed on the COVID-19 injured list in a corresponding move, so there should be some playing time available in the short term. Alex Kirilloff was not an option to be promoted, as he is at the team's alternate training site in St. Paul and the team didn't want to fly players to the West Coast commercially during the pandemic. Rooker has six strikeouts in 11 at-bats.