Latest news with #DanaBrown
New York Times
2 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
Astros takeaways: Yordan Alvarez fallout continues, Jake Meyers adjusts swing and more
HOUSTON — Fallout from a dysfunctional Saturday spilled into Sunday at Daikin Park, where prior to the finale of a 10-game homestand, the Houston Astros honored Dr. Thomas Mehlhoff for 35 years of service to the organization with an on-field ceremony and framed jersey. Alex Bregman, George Springer and Jeff Bagwell all sent taped remarks praising Mehlhoff: one of the team's physicians who, according to an in-stadium announcement, handles most of the Astros' hand and wrist injuries. Advertisement Ironic isn't strong enough to describe the scene — a coincidental confluence of events that epitomized a whirlwind weekend in Houston. The team completed a 10-game homestand 7-3 and split four games with the Tampa Bay Rays, but both accomplishments seemed secondary to the saga of a slugger's right hand that — after a month — is now known to be fractured. Many questions remain about the Astros' handling of Yordan Alvarez's situation. Those with the medical expertise to answer them won't be made available any time soon, leaving baseball men to double as orthopedic specialists. General manager Dana Brown did his best during the team's pregame radio show, when play-by-play man Robert Ford asked whether, in hindsight, the organization wished it had done anything different during Alvarez's recovery. 'When he had the first injury, in terms of the muscle strain in the hand, maybe we shouldn't have let him fight through that,' Brown said. 'He said it wasn't the normal pain that he usually gets in his hand, so he thought maybe he could grind through it and it was just soreness. 'Maybe at that point we probably should have shut him down, maybe for a week, giving it a chance to heal and not let him try to fight through it and potentially cause more damage.' Brown's candor again calls into question every aspect of the team's return-to-play procedure. His predecessor, James Click, panned it before his dismissal in 2022. Now, Brown must decide what, if anything, to do about it. At the end of last season, Troy Snitker sent a list of goals to Jake Meyers, a defensive wizard with decreasing offensive production. Some suggested mechanical tweaks. Others offered advice for extending at-bats. Meyers carried his hitting coach's counsel into a pivotal winter. He slashed .190/.256/.307 across his final 362 plate appearances of 2024. Brown barely mentioned Meyers throughout a transformative offseason spent searching for an outfielder. Advertisement Instead, Brown has found the best version of Meyers, a soft-spoken Midwesterner morphing into a lineup mainstay. Only two qualified Astros have a higher OPS than Meyers' .753 mark. Just Jeremy Peña has a higher batting average than Meyers' .292 clip. Meyers raised it by 42 points across 109 prolific May plate appearances. According to FanGraphs, only four American League outfielders were worth more wins above replacement than Meyers last month: Aaron Judge, Ryan O'Hearn, Addison Barger and Cody Bellinger. Contact is allowing Meyers to keep that company. Pitchers are throwing him more strikes than any season of his major-league career and Meyers is making contact on 86.9 percent of the swings he takes against them. His career average is 82 percent. Much of the improvement can be traced to a swing adjustment listed as part of Snitker's offseason goals. Meyers corrected a career-long tendency to initiate a swing with his top hand, which created a steep entrance into the strike zone. An inconsistent bat path and poor plate coverage ensued. Meyers chased outside the zone at a 31.2 percent rate last season. He whiffed 27 percent of the time, too — the fourth straight season in which he posted at least a 27 percent whiff rate. 'I learned how to initiate the bat with my hands and, because I'm athletic and strong, I can still get the bat to the ball,' Meyers said. 'You get to the big leagues and they're throwing a bunch of different pitches moving a bunch of different ways, it makes it extremely hard to do that and redirect where you're going.' This winter, Meyers focused on a more efficient way to start his swing. He took one-handed swings using his top hand, trying to stay level while his barrel entered the strike zone. Gradually, after getting comfortable, he introduced a second hand and saw a swing he didn't need to initiate. Advertisement 'He's quieted that down to get into some better positions, but he's coming out of those positions cleaner as well,' Snitker said. 'The sequence is better. The way he's rotating, first, and then the path that follows that is cleaner.' Meyers is whiffing 21.3 percent of the time this season and chasing outside the strike zone at just a 22.9 percent clip. His aggression remains — Meyers is seeing just 3.59 pitches per plate appearance and has absurd numbers against the first pitch of a plate appearance — but has cut down on chasing in the middle of at-bats, allowing for some longer battles. Whether Meyers can continue this surge will be fascinating. Meyers also had a magnificent first two months last season, slashing .289/.360/.489 in his first 151 plate appearances. The freefall that followed won't be repeated, Meyers believes. 'The way I've gone about these first two months is very different than last year and the years before,' Meyers said. 'It will be sustainable because of the things I'm focusing on and the things I've set in the offseason and spring training and through these couple months, I know I can be confident it will work.' During pregame stretch on Saturday night in Albuquerque, Jacob Melton saw something peculiar. Teammate Tommy Sacco Jr. walked toward the group with his glove. Manager Mickey Storey followed. Melton knew Sacco wasn't in Triple-A Sugar Land's starting lineup. That he came to work out with those who were could mean only one thing. That Storey joined him only confirmed Melton's suspicion that he could be headed to the show. 'Before (Storey) even said anything, I kind of had a feeling this is what it was,' Melton said with a smile. 'It was surreal. I don't think I really have the words to describe how I felt in that moment.' Melton made his major-league debut during Sunday's 1-0 win against the Rays, starting in center field and finishing 1-for-3 from the eighth spot in Houston's batting order. Melton's role moving forward will evolve, though it's difficult to envision him getting everyday at-bats. Brown intimated as much prior to Sunday's game, acknowledging the myriad health issues that have plagued Melton this season — first a back problem that started in spring training and then a groin issue that affected him in April. Advertisement 'We're taking it a little slow with the groin. We were playing him four days a week in the minor leagues and it kind of fits here,' Brown told the team's pregame radio show. 'He's probably going to come up here and face right-handers, gives us that left-hand bat we've been looking for. We don't have to play him here every day, but we're gradually going to break him in and see what he can do.' Production can alter any plans of a semi-platoon. Melton could mash his way into more regular at-bats, but as it stands, he isn't a better option than any of the Astros' three everyday outfielders: Meyers, Jose Altuve and Cam Smith. Melton is a natural center fielder, but the team is more than comfortable playing him in either corner. Being without both Alvarez and Zach Dezenzo does open more designated hitter at-bats, which will benefit Melton in the short term. That he hits left-handed will benefit an entire ballclub that lacks any semblance of balance. No team in baseball entered Sunday with fewer plate appearances from a left-handed hitter than the Astros. Manager Joe Espada has given a major-league low 21 pinch-hit plate appearances all season, a byproduct of having an all-right-handed bench that can't be used to create any platoon advantage. Melton's mere presence can change that. Having him on the roster will lessen Houston's need to play switch-hitting backup catcher Victor Caratini every day just for balance and deploy him more in late-game, pinch-hit situations. Bear in mind, Caratini went 8-for-19 in pinch-hit at-bats last season. Finding Alvarez's hand fracture — and realizing he'll be sidelined for longer — 'nudged' the Astros to promote Melton, Brown said. It stands to reason that the lack of external left-handed bats available did, too. Prior to the season, The Athletic's Keith Law ranked Melton as the organization's second-best prospect behind Smith, who has since exceeded prospect status. In 2023, Brown fought to keep Melton out of the Justin Verlander trade, instead parting with fellow outfielders Drew Gilbert and Ryan Clifford. (Top photo of Yordan Alvarez: Steph Chambers / Getty Images)
Reuters
3 days ago
- General
- Reuters
Astros DH Yordan Alvarez dealing with fracture in hand
May 31 - Houston Astros designated Yordan Alvarez has a "very small fracture" in his right hand that is 60 percent healed, general manager Dana Brown announced on Saturday. Brown said the fracture wasn't discovered in initial imaging on May 6 because there was too much inflammation and fluid. "The immediate plan for him right now is to just let it rest," Brown said. "And he'll still continue to do other baseball activity like the running, he could probably go out in the outfield and catch. He can do everything else except for pick up a bat. And so, we don't even want him hitting off tees even though he feels good enough to hit off a tee. Just let it heal completely and then you'll be back." Alvarez remains on the injured list retroactive to May 3. Alvarez, who was previously on the injured list for right hand inflammation in July 2022, has gotten off to a slow start this season. He is batting .210 with three home runs and 18 RBIs in 29 games. The 27-year-old has a career batting average of .295 with 167 home runs and 484 RBIs in 658 games, all with the Astros. Last season he was an All-Star selection for the third consecutive year and topped 30 homers for the fourth straight season. Also on Saturday, the Astros placed outfielder Chas McCormick on the 10-day injured list with a left oblique strain and recalled infielder Shay Whitcomb from Triple-A Sugar Land. The move is retroactive to Friday for McCormick, who is batting .256 with two RBIs in 36 games this season. McCormick, 30, is a career .250 hitter with 55 homers and 193 RBIs in 472 career games with the Astros. Whitcomb, 26, is batting .275 with a Pacific Coast League-leading 18 homers and 38 RBIs in 53 games this season with the Space Cowboys. He batted .220 with five RBIs in 20 games last season with the Astros. --Field Level Media
New York Times
3 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
Yordan Alvarez's ‘small' hand fracture adds another chapter to Astros' ambiguous medical history
HOUSTON — A month into an injured list stint for 'inflammation,' a small fracture has been discovered in Yordan Alvarez's right hand, sidelining the Houston Astros slugger for the foreseeable future while inviting further scrutiny on a medical staff struggling to get players back onto the field. Alvarez underwent imaging on Friday evening that revealed a 'small' fracture near the fourth metacarpal, general manager Dana Brown said on Saturday. The fracture is '60 percent healed,' according to Brown, who still hopes Alvarez can return 'in the near future.' Advertisement Alvarez has not appeared in a major-league game since May 2. On Saturday, the three-time All-Star acknowledged the injury occurred in a game prior to that date, but Alvarez attempted to play through it 'because I've played before with pain in my hand.' 'I didn't think it was going to be something big,' Alvarez added through an interpreter. 'But I think the fact that I kept playing caused my hand to stress more and caused the small fracture.' The team first described Alvarez's injury as a muscle strain on the top of his right hand. According to Brown, initial imaging taken on May 6 showed inflammation and fluid around the area. After three weeks of rest and ambiguous updates — always with positive undertones — team officials hoped Alvarez could return during this weekend's series against the Tampa Bay Rays. Two minor-league pitchers flew in from Florida on Friday morning to throw live batting practice against Alvarez at Daikin Park. Alvarez hit one home run into the right field seats and stung a few other line drives, but still felt pain in his right hand. Additional imaging ensued on Friday evening, which revealed the fracture. 'It doesn't surprise me that it was fractured,' Alvarez said. 'I knew there was something there on my first MRI with the muscle strain, but that's what I was dealing with. Time passed and it was supposed to get better, but it wasn't like that. I knew I couldn't go out there and support three or four games out there.' Both Brown and Alvarez said the Astros only took two images of Alvarez's hand: the one on May 6 and another on Friday evening. It's unclear why additional imaging wasn't ordered once Alvarez's inflammation subsided. Asked whether Friday's imaging came with Astros' doctors or an external physician, Alvarez replied, 'Both.' Brown acknowledged that Alvarez received a 'second opinion through him and his agent.' Alvarez's agent, Dan Lozano of MVP Sports Group, declined comment on Saturday. 'That's normal in baseball,' Brown said. 'There's a lot of guys that do that and we're not opposed to it. The beauty is our doctors will always communicate with the doctor (who gives) the second opinion and we'll work through it.' Advertisement Nowhere in Brown's team-written biography does it describe any medical education in his past, yet he sat atop a bench on Saturday afternoon attempting to explain how a $2.8 billion entity has now twice failed to discover a fracture in one of its franchise players. Last season, after insisting for almost three months that outfielder Kyle Tucker suffered a 'shin contusion,' the club acknowledged he suffered a fracture, but only after The Athletic prepared to report the story, citing multiple league sources. No two injuries are identical, but the parallel between Tucker and Alvarez's predicaments is difficult to ignore. Understanding how damaging the public perception can be is crucial, too. Players needing months to recover from fractures is understandable to a fan base. Needing that for a contusion or inflammation is more difficult to digest. The Astros continue to refuse all interview requests for head trainer Jeremiah Randall, claiming the sport's collective bargaining agreement prevents it. Still, the Pittsburgh Pirates, Minnesota Twins and Athletics are among teams that make their medical staffs available in either informal or on-the-record settings. The Detroit Tigers issue a formal injury report twice a week. On Saturday, Houston opted for its head of baseball operations to deliver a radiology lesson. 'I think part of the problem is twofold: You don't see the calcium or callus buildup until five weeks or so, and that's part of the problem,' Brown said. 'When you do these imagings and you have so much fluid and inflammation, it is very, very difficult to diagnose it. Even with multiple opinions, it's very difficult to see.' Both Brown and Alvarez acknowledged that swinging a bat within the past week may have exacerbated the injury, inviting wonder why Alvarez did so in the first place. Advertisement 'I was in agreement with that plan, but I knew something wasn't right,' Alvarez said on Saturday. 'But there wasn't anything more to show after the first MRI. When I first hit off the pitchers yesterday, I knew I wasn't going to be able to play three or four games straight and that's when we decided to do again the MRI.' Three years ago, former general manager James Click called into question the team's 'return to play procedure' after admitting Jake Meyers rushed back from a shoulder injury. Click promised a review, but got fired before it could be conducted. Perhaps it would behoove Brown to begin one of his own. He already acknowledged rushing pitcher J.P. France back from a shoulder injury last spring. Luis Garcia still hasn't appeared in a major-league game since undergoing Tommy John surgery in May 2023. Lance McCullers Jr. had several setbacks while recovering from flexor tendon surgery. Asked if he is concerned about how Houston's medical staff has handled his injury, Alvarez said he is not. 'Because maybe I should have said something before that I wanted another study,' Alvarez said through an interpreter. 'But I didn't do it because that was the first thing that came out. It got to the point where I wanted to do another study and that's what we did.' As a result of it, Alvarez will not swing a bat for the foreseeable future. Neither Alvarez nor Brown wanted to put a timeline on his return, though doing so would've accomplished little. Gone is any benefit of the doubt — or believability — in anything this team reveals about its injured players. 'Just let it heal completely and he'll be back,' Brown said.
Washington Post
3 days ago
- Health
- Washington Post
Yordan Alvarez's return delayed by newly discovered hand fracture
HOUSTON — Yordan Alvarez's hand injury is worse than it originally appeared. The Houston slugger felt pain in his right hand on Friday while hitting and a small fracture that was previously believed to be a muscle strain was discovered. The fracture is about 60% healed. General manager Dana Brown said he believes the fracture in Alvarez's fourth metacarpal wasn't discovered in initial imaging on May 6 because there was too much inflammation and fluid.
Associated Press
3 days ago
- General
- Associated Press
Yordan Alvarez's return delayed by newly discovered hand fracture
HOUSTON (AP) — Yordan Alvarez's hand injury is worse than it originally appeared. The Houston slugger felt pain in his right hand on Friday while hitting and a small fracture that was previously believed to be a muscle strain was discovered. The fracture is about 60% healed. General manager Dana Brown said he believes the fracture in Alvarez's fourth metacarpal wasn't discovered in initial imaging on May 6 because there was too much inflammation and fluid. Alvarez has been out since May 3 with the injury. They had hoped he could come off the injured list this weekend. 'The immediate plan for him right now is to just let it rest,' Brown said. 'And he'll still continue to do other baseball activity like the running, he could probably go out in the outfield and catch. He can do everything else except for pick up a bat. And so, we don't even want him hitting off tees even though he feels good enough to hit off a tee. Just let it heal completely and then you'll be back.' Since Friday's imaging showed that the fracture was already more than halfway healed, Brown doesn't believe it will keep him out too much longer. 'We're hopeful that because he's healed so much that ... he'll be back sooner rather than later,' Brown said. Alvarez was asked when he expects to return. 'I wish I had a magic ball to tell you,' he said in Spanish through a translator. '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.' Brown added that they think the fracture occurred when Alvarez tried to play through the initial muscle strain. Brown said he played for almost two weeks after initially noticing the problem before the first imaging was done. 'The muscle strain was real,' Brown said. 'I really think that when he was fighting through those weeks knowing that it wasn't the same feeling as some of his hand problems in the past ... maybe that's when he may have caused a little bit more damage.' Alvarez hit .210 with three home runs and 18 RBIs in 29 games this season before landing on the injured list. ___ AP MLB:
