General manager Dana Brown acknowledged Sunday the Houston Astros could have taken a different initial approach with Yordan Alvarez when the slugger first reported pain in his hand this season. Brown made his comments on the Astros' pregame radio show,

Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez, who had hoped to return to Houston's lineup this weekend for the first time since early May, will instead be shut down after new imaging revealed a small fracture in his right hand.

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.