The Houston Astros have a solid roster from top to bottom, but thanks to injuries to plenty of the starters, the team hasn't been at full strength all season.
Of the team's injuries, the most noteworthy is that to Yordan Alvarez. He's had just 100 at-bats this season, and while he was playing significantly below his normal offensive production, his absence has been huge in Houston.
For ESPN MLB writer Bradford Doolittle, the key to the Astros' postseason run potentially ending in a World Series title is whether or not Alvarez can return to form once he's activated later this season.
"Despite the Astros' deadline pickups, their once-mighty offense won't be an October threat -- if Houston gets that far -- unless Alvarez is ready to rake." Doolittle writes, "As the Astros have come back to the pack in the American League West, their offense has been the coldest in baseball. Alvarez is their best hope of getting back to at least average."
Houston is sitting atop the AL West, but the Seattle Mariners are just three games back, and the Texas Rangers are only 4.5 games back. Both teams made solid deadline additions and are in the middle of solid stretches of baseball.
MORE: Astros agree to blockbuster trade with Twins for Carlos Correa
While the Astros have been somewhat floundering lately, going 4-6 in their last ten, the return of a healthy and effective Alvarez could be a huge difference-maker for Houston.
They went into the trade deadline needing a left-handed-hitting batter and added Jesus Sanchez to fill such a role. They also added Carlos Correa and Ramon Urias to bolster the team's offense. But the lineup is still missing something.
Houston's missing piece is Alvarez's offensive prowess in the lineup. If he can return and hit like he did from 2022 to 2024, where he had a .303 batting average with a .988 OPS and 103 home runs in 396 games, the Astros' offense can drastically improve.
But, even if he does return, if he comes back as the 2025 version of himself, who hit .210 with a career-low .646 OPS, the Astros' offense will still be missing that key piece.
With the deadline in the rear-view mirror, and the Astros expected to be without Isaac Paredes for the majority of the year, the return of Alvarez is imperative to the team's success in Doolittle's view.
MORE MLB NEWS:
- Astros trade for 27-year-old left-handed-hitting Marlins outfielder
- Padres trade Ryan Bergert, Stephen Kolek to Royals for a new catcher
- Tigers lost out to Mets on trade for Cardinals' Ryan Helsley
- Padres pull off blockbuster trade for Athletics' Mason Miller
- Cardinals' trade acquisition shares five-word message with fans
- Guardians to trade Cy Young starter Shane Bieber to Blue Jays