How 3 unlikely Astros players are doing heavy-lifting for Houston

UNSUNG HEROES

The Houston Astros have won four straight series and they're getting significant contributions from all over the roster.

Three under the radar names that really jump off the page and have been responsible for this recent run include Hunter Brown, Jake Meyers, and Martin Maldonado.

Meyers and Maldonado are swinging hot bats and playing their best ball of the season. Maldonado's batting average is finally up to .200 on the year. That may not sound like much, but it's a big deal for Maldy.

So, despite some struggles from Jose Abreu and Alex Bregman, the team is finding ways to score enough runs and win ballgames.

Plus, we react to the latest injury update for Lance McCullers and project a realistic outlook for his 2023 season.

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Yordan Alvarez is still having issues with his hand. Composite Getty Image.

Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez has experienced a setback in his recovery from a broken right hand and will see a specialist.

Astros general manager Dana Brown said Alvarez felt pain when he arrived Tuesday at the team's spring training complex in West Palm Beach, Florida, where he had a workout a day earlier. Alvarez also took batting practice Saturday at Daikin Park.

He will be shut down until he's evaluated by the specialist.

“It’s a tough time going through this with Yordan, but I know that he’s still feeling pain and the soreness in his hand,” Brown said before Tuesday night's series opener at Colorado. “We’re not going to try to push it or force him through anything. We're just going to allow him to heal and get a little bit more answers as to what steps we take next.”

Alvarez has been sidelined for nearly two months. The injury was initially diagnosed as a muscle strain, but when Alvarez felt pain again while hitting in late May, imaging revealed a small fracture.

The 28-year-old outfielder, who has hit 31 homers or more in each of the past four seasons, had been eyeing a return as soon as this weekend at the Los Angeles Dodgers. Now it's uncertain when he'll play.

“We felt like he was close because he had felt so good of late,” Brown said, “but this is certainly news that we didn't want.”

You can watch Brown discuss the setback in the video below.

Also Tuesday, the Astros officially placed shortstop Jeremy Peña on the 10-day injured list with a fractured rib and recalled infielder Shay Whitcomb from Triple-A Sugar Land.

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