Astros place slugger Yordan Alvarez on IL with sore oblique

CLEVELAND (AP) — Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez, who leads the majors with 55 RBIs, has been placed on the 10-day injured list with right oblique discomfort.

Alvarez was removed after one at-bat Thursday in a 3-2 loss at Toronto, telling reporters that he initially felt discomfort during batting practice. It's his seventh career IL stint.

The 25-year-old outfielder returned to Houston for additional evaluation. Alvarez is hitting .272 with 17 homers in 57 games.

“It’s not easy to figure it out, but we’ll make adjustments,” manager Dusty Baker said before the Astros’ game against the Cleveland Guardians. “You don’t have a choice, you just have to go forward.”

Alvarez ranks second in the AL in homers and slugging percentage behind Aaron Judge of the Yankees. The Cuban National Series veteran was the AL Rookie of the Year in 2019 and made his first All-Star team last season, when he hit .306 with 37 homers and 97 RBIs.

Mauricio Dubón filled in for Alvarez in left field as Houston opened a three-game series at Cleveland.

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