Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez had to be removed from Monday’s game against the Texas Rangers after injuring his leg while crossing the plate.
With Jeremy Pena on second and Alvarez on first with no outs in the bottom of the first, Carlos Correa topped a ball between the plate and the mound. Rangers pitcher Jack Leiter fielded the ball cleanly, but slipped as he fired the ball over first baseman Jake Burger’s head.
Pena scored easily and Alvarez stepped over the leg of catcher Jonah Heim to score as well, but Alvarez lost his balance and ability to slow down as his left foot touched the plate. Alvarez hopped in pain toward the Astros dugout until teammate Christian Walker was able to stop him.
Alvarez put little weight on his left leg as he hobbled down the dugout steps. Rookie outfielder Zach Cole entered the game for Alvarez in the top of the second.
The injury comes at a particularly inopportune time for the Astros (81-69), who have fallen one game behind the Seattle Mariners in the race for the American League West division title.
Monday’s game marked Alvarez’s 48th game of the season as he missed 100 games after injuring his hand on May 2. Since returning to Houston’s lineup on Aug. 26, the lefty slugger has posted a .369 average with three homers and nine RBIs in 78 plate appearances.
For the year, he owns a .273/.364/.430 slash line along with six homers and 27 RBIs.
