Astros' Alvarez recovering from fractured hand

Houston Astros general manager Dana Brown says slugger Yordan Alvarez is "60 percent healed" from what the team is calling a fracture in his right hand, The Athletic's Chandler Rome reported Saturday.

Alvarez felt discomfort after taking batting practice Friday and was sent for imaging, which revealed the fracture. Brown added that Alvarez will be shut down, but the club remains hopeful he can return in the "near future."

"I wish I had a magic ball to tell you," Alvarez said in Spanish via a translator about a possible timetable to return, according to The Associated Press. "The good news is that it’s healing well, but I need rest because the fact that I was keeping on doing swings, it was taking it back, taking it (longer) to heal."

Alvarez hasn't played since May 2 and has been on the injured list with right hand inflammation since May 5.

"It's not ideal, right?" Astros manager Joe Espada said Saturday, per MLB.com's Brian McTaggart. "We know how good a player he is and how important he is to this team. So, not what we wanted to hear, but this is where we are."

The Astros have moved into first place in the American League West in Alvarez's absence.

The 27-year-old was struggling at the plate before the injury, slashing .210/.306/.340 with three home runs, four doubles, and 18 RBIs in 29 games.