Crawfish Boil: Yordan’s Unstoppable, the Abreu Problem, Injury Updates & More

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HOUSTON, TEXAS - APRIL 19: Yordan Alvarez #44 of the Houston Astros hits the ball during the first inning of the game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Daikin Park on April 19, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The latest news on the Houston Astros and from around MLB:


Yordan Alvarez is unstoppable:

Yordan Alvarez has two at-bats ending with a two strike count today.

He hit a single and a home run which bumps his two strike SLG to .809 this season.

That is the best SLG in baseball in ANY count this season.#Astros | #ChaseTheFighthttps://t.co/TSUefrXLep

— Inside Edge (@IE_MLB) April 22, 2026

Do the Astros have a major Bryan Abreu problem?

"This is a dysfunctional roster at the moment."@Chandler_Rome says the Astros cannot have Bryan Abreu on the roster and continue to not use him. pic.twitter.com/82j1y4H6U9

— Crush City Territory (@CrushCityShow) April 23, 2026

Jose Altuve vs Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell at 2000 games mark:

Through 2,000 games:

Altuve: .303/.360/.465, 2,413 hits, 461 2Bs, 258 HRs, 897 RBIs, 326 SBs

Biggio: .289/.379/.434, 2,272 hits, 469 2Bs, 190 HRs, 859 RBIs, 379 SBs

Bagwell: .299/.410/.545, 2,213 hits, 470 2Bs, 430 HRs, 1,459 RBIs, 197 SBs

— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) April 22, 2026

This is what happens when the top 4 guys on your CF depth chart all go down at the same time (or why the Astros claimed Dustin Harris and signed Daniel Johnson and have them on the MLB roster):

"They're in a really tough spot. They don't have available bodies."@Chandler_Rome breaks down the Astros current issue with so many injuries. pic.twitter.com/mN2e1CrhUM

— Crush City Territory (@CrushCityShow) April 23, 2026

Speaking of injuries, here is the latest on some prominent Astros on the IL, including Hunter Brown, Bennett Sousa, Jeremy Pena, Tatsuya Imai and Cody Bolton:

Hunter Brown starting to play catch again and some other Astros injury notes: https://t.co/mX75pzoOYH

— Matt Kawahara (@matthewkawahara) April 22, 2026

Maybe some reinforcements coming soon for the Astros (or one of their CFs is on the mend):

A Woodpeckers legend is back as a big leaguer.

Astros outfielder Zach Cole is set to begin a rehab assignment in Fayetteville tonight. pic.twitter.com/7tZ6yvbuem

— Fayetteville Woodpeckers (@WoodpeckersNC) April 23, 2026

SP Peter Lambert gave the Astros the kind of starting pitching performance the team badly needed in his 2nd start with the team:

Peter Lambert's six-inning performance against Cleveland is what the team was hoping for when he was signed. It couldn't come at a better time. https://t.co/PILhgw4dH8

— Chronicle Astros (@ChronAstros) April 23, 2026

These are good numbers for those of you who would ask:

Peter Lambert: 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 8 K. 96 pitches, 61 strikes. It’s Houston’s fourth quality start of the season in 26 games. He induced 16 whiffs on 45 swings and the Guardians averaged a 78.3 mph exit velocity on 13 balls in play.

— Matt Kawahara (@matthewkawahara) April 22, 2026

Astros rotation vs the Yankees this weekend:

Astros probables vs. the Yankees:
Fri: Lance McCullers Jr.
Sat: Mike Burrows
Sun: Spencer Arrighetti

— Matt Kawahara (@matthewkawahara) April 22, 2026

It may be the end of the line for veteran SP Taijuan Walker:

Walker, 1-4 with a 9.13 ERA, was in the final year of a 4-year, $72 million contract https://t.co/eg3qokJXUE

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) April 23, 2026

A rookie player from Japan is the current leader for AL Rookie of the Year. Just not the one in Houston:

‘It’s unbelievable what he’s doing’: Munetaka Murakami continues historic run with homer in 5th straight game https://t.co/eYq5USwuwk

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) April 23, 2026

Murakami's numbers through the 24th game of his MLB career:
.247
10 homers
19 RBI
.398 on-base percentage
.617 slugging percentage
1.015 OPS https://t.co/eMDgEMHbPY

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) April 23, 2026

Munetaka Murakami's blast soared 451 feet.
The distance of his last five homers: 2,156 feet.
He now has 10 homers of the season, the quickest to reach 10 homers in White Sox history, per @SlangsOnSportshttps://t.co/o6tliEDaPT

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) April 23, 2026

Shohei Ohtani might be mortal. Might.

Shohei Ohtani’s 53-game on-base streak comes to an end in the Dodgers’ 3-0 defeat to the Giants.

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) April 23, 2026

There is something special about little-known players who hang around forever and one day have a great hot streak that is the best of their lives:

Vargas homers again, this time a 2-run shot. It's his first multi-homer game since 2019. https://t.co/QRKgGMJBaz

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) April 23, 2026

Human Sacrifice! Dogs and cats living together! Mass Hysteria! – No, but the Mets may have stayed at a Holiday Inn Express before the game:

The gruesome streak is over.
The New York Mets finally have won a baseball game.
They win 3-2 over the Minnesota Twins.
It's their first victory since April 7.
They are now 8-16, but have a winning streak.

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) April 23, 2026

But in typical Mets fashion, anything good must come with something horrific:

Good news: Luke Weaver locks it down for the Mets to snap the 12-game losing streak.

Bad news: Francisco Lindor goes down with a calf injury in Juan Soto's first game back. @JonHeymanpic.twitter.com/Hj9HumiBI5

— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) April 23, 2026

Angels SP Jose Soriano continues to lead the chase to the AL Cy Young in the early going:

Angels starter Jose Soriano with another 5 shutout innings today.
He is the first MLB pitcher since 1900 to allow no more than one run in the first six starts of a season.
0.24 ERA
1 earned run
37.2 innings

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) April 22, 2026

The Padres have signed SP Lucas Giolito:

He will start pitching at Class A after missing all of spring training with the Padres planning to add him to the big league roster within the next three weeks https://t.co/Hmgr7r8Jkf

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) April 22, 2026

The Padres are paying starter Lucas Giolito just a base salary of $3 million, that will be pro-rated, with incentives for another $5 million. @JonHeyman on it.

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) April 22, 2026

In an absolute stunner, a grumpy old man blames someone else for his problems (which apparently include getting a new stadium in a new city and getting *richer*):

In new book, Lew Wolff says ‘despicable’ San Francisco Giants to blame for Athletics relocation https://t.co/B420T4MmFo

— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) April 22, 2026

In case you wanted to know…

What road trips to players love/hate?
How common are clubhouse fights?
How much free gear do players get?

Answering your questions about the lives of MLB players.https://t.co/bSpvWfBEej

— Stephen J. Nesbitt (@stephenjnesbitt) April 22, 2026

Team badly underperforming has star player suffer injury. Wow, it’s not even the Astros.

News: The Phillies are putting J.T. Realmuto on the injured list. Garrett Stubbs will return and split time at catcher with Rafael Marchán.

Another blow to a team that desperately needs something to go right. Story: https://t.co/BlTHrTo2LR

— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) April 22, 2026

Take a peek inside some World Series strategy from last season:

Dave Roberts always wondered if part of the Blue Jays' calculus for intentionally walking Shohei Ohtani during the 18-inning Game 3 was to tire him out before his Game 4 start. So he asked John Schneider — and the answer is an illuminating look into World Series strategy. pic.twitter.com/RkihChJdN5

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) April 22, 2026

Well, Milwaukee may not score many runs today or tomorrow:

Brewers are facing Tarik Skubal today in Detroit and Paul Skenes tomorrow at home, just the second time in MLB history that a team has faced reigning Cy Young Award winners in consecutive games.

— Sophia Minnaert (@SophiaMinnaert) April 23, 2026

Despite their injuries, maybe these guys are really good:

In MLB history, only one team has had the following numbers over the first 25 games of a season:

+50 or better run differential
30+ home runs
200+ pitching strikeouts
0 blown saves

That one team is the 2026 @Braves. pic.twitter.com/H9v7O0NB5B

— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) April 23, 2026

Nightmare scenario for Jackson Holliday:

Jackson Holliday's hamate injury timeline:

Feb. 6 — Fractures hamate bone in right hand on a swing during live BP
Feb. 11 — Team announces injury, says he'll miss opening day
Feb. 12 — Undergoes surgery to remove hook of hamate bone, the typical procedure for that type of…

— Jacob Calvin Meyer (@jcalvinmeyer) April 22, 2026

The numbers that don’t lie (and maybe some that exaggerate):

Cold offensive starts? A reliever that could win a Cy Young?! 8 stats that tell the early story of the 2026 season

It's hard to know which numbers to trust this time of year. Here are the ones that we do — and don't — believe in.https://t.co/6gA6kOldUR

— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) April 22, 2026

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