Yordan Alvarez suffered a scary injury when he crossed home plate in the first inning of Monday’s Astros game against the Rangers in Houston.
The Astros later announced that Alvarez suffered a left ankle sprain and manager Joe Espada told reporters after the game that Alvarez would undergo an MRI exam on his left ankle on Tuesday.
The Astros outfielder had been on first base when Carlos Correa hit a ball toward the infield and Rangers starter Jack Leiter committed a throwing error, allowing Alvarez to score from first.
As Alvarez was coming across home, he seemed to slip on the plate and his ankle rolled, sending him toward the Astros dugout hobbling.
Astros first baseman Christian Walker had been stepping into the on-deck circle and helped Alvarez brace after he rolled his ankle.
A team trainer and Espada quickly came out to check on Alvarez and he was helped down the dugout steps and down the tunnel to the clubhouse.
Rookie Zach Cole came into the lineup for Alvarez.
The injury was the latest blow for Alvarez, who had only just returned on Aug. 26 from a right-hand fracture that kept him out of the lineup for 100 games this season.
He had been hitting .369/.455/.569 in the 18 games since his return.
The injury to Alvarez could not have come at a worse time for the Astros, as they find themselves trailing the Mariners by one game in the AL West and clinging to a two-game advantage in the AL Wild Card over the Rangers.
The Astros face the Rangers and Mariners over their next six games as the season winds to a close.
