Astros' Yordan Alvarez headed for MRI on ankle

Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez, who injured his left ankle while stepping on home plate Monday night, will undergo an MRI exam on Tuesday, according to manager Joe Espada.

Alvarez had a boot on his left foot when he exited Houston's clubhouse on crutches, per The Athletic. The three-time All-Star had to come out of the game against the visiting Texas Rangers after getting hurt while scoring a run.

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 ran through a stop sign to score as well. As Alvarez stepped over the leg of catcher Jonah Heim to evade a tag and touch the plate, he slipped and lost his balance and ability to slow down. Alvarez hopped in pain toward the dugout until teammate Christian Walker was able to stop his momentum.

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.

Cole wound up going 2-for-3 with a homer and three RBIs as Houston won 6-3.

The injury comes at a particularly inopportune time for the Astros (82-69), who moved within a half-game of the idle first-place Seattle Mariners in American League West.

The Monday contest was 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.

--Field Level Media