Houston’s Alvarez has sore left hand, won’t take BP for a few days
Houston Astros All- Star Yordan Alvarez has a sore left hand that will keep him out of batting practice for a few days in spring training.
Alvarez told reporters on Tuesday that soreness in the hand was an issue at times last year and continued to “flare up a bit at times” during the offseason.
Despite the soreness, Alvarez hit .306 with 37 homers and 97 RBIS and finished third in the AL MVP voting for the World Series champion Astros.
Speaking through a translator, Alvarez said he told the team about the sore hand when he reported.
“It’s just something we’re going to monitor,” said Alvarez, a native of Cuba.
GUEST REQUIRES MEDICAL HELP>>
A guest of the Pittsburgh Pirates required emergency medical attention after suffering cardiac arrest while fielding fly balls on a practice field.
Ernie Withers, 69, was shagging balls at the team’s spring training complex when he had “a medical event” that required immediate attention and caused practice to stop.
Jacki Dezelski, president of the Manatee Chamber of Commerce in Bradenton, Florida, confirmed Withers is a member of her group which sometimes is invited to attend practices and retrieve balls near the fence during batting practice.
Dezelski said Withers suffered a cardiac arrest and was alert, talking and “doing well” after a procedure.
First baseman Luke Voit and outfielder Tyler Naquin agreed to minor league contracts with the Milwaukee Brewers and will report to major league spring training.
Voit, 32, hit .226 with 22 homers and 69 RBIS in 135 games with San Diego and Washington last season. He became a free agent when the Nationals failed to offer a 2023 contract.