Major League Baseball

Astros slugger Yordan Álvarez dealing with virus, in lineup for ALCS Game 2 vs. Rangers

Published Oct. 16, 2023 1:49 p.m. ET

Houston Astros slugger Yordan Álvarez is dealing with a virus that is causing upset stomach and headache symptoms, according to FOX Sports MLB insider Ken Rosenthal.

Álvarez did not come out of the dugout for team introductions before Game 1 of the American League Championship Series vs. the Texas Rangers on Sunday. He did start at designated hitter and played the entire game, but he went 0-for-4 and struck out three times — after having one of the fewest three-strikeout game totals in MLB during the regular season — against Rangers starter Jordan Montgomery. The Astros lost the game 2-0.

Álvarez is back in the lineup for Monday's Game 2 (4:30 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports App), batting in the No. 4 spot as designated hitter. Manager Dusty Baker told reporters that Álvarez is "fine" and feeling better than he did Sunday, via FOX Sports' Deesha Thosar. The 26-year-old Cuba native has become one of the most prolific hitters in the Astros' lineup since his 2019 MLB debut, especially in the postseason, where he has a career .877 OPS and played a major role in Houston's 2022 World Series title run.

That hot October hitting continued into this postseason, as Álvarez hit four home runs in the Astros' four-game AL Division Series win over the Minnesota Twins.

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