Alvarez on second straight MLB All-Star Game appearance: 'The plan for me is to go'

Houston Astros designated hitter/outfielder Yordan Alvarez is headed to his second consecutive Major League Baseball (MLB) All-Star Game, but unlike in 2022 when a hand injury forced him to stay home and watch the much-anticipated midseason exhibition in Los Angeles on TV, he said that “the plan is [for him] to go” to Seattle strained oblique notwithstanding.

“Last year, I wasn’t able to go and I want to be able to live that experience,” Alvarez said in a report that was published on the Astros’ website.

According to the franchise, Alvarez, along with left-handed hurler and fellow two-time All-Star Framber Valdez, are the incumbent World Series champions’ only players on the American League (AL) roster, which is managed again by Houston skipper Dusty Baker.

Houston CBS affiliate KHOU reported that the players elected the 26-year-old Alvarez to the team while the league picked Valdez to play in the 93rd All-Star Game, which will be held at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park on July 11. Per the Astros’ report, Baker and his staff will form the AL coaching staff for the second straight season by virtue of Houston’s second consecutive and fourth overall league pennant. Baker said in the report he approves of the players and the fans having a say in All-Star voting.

KHOU reported that the additions of Alvarez and the 29-year-old Valdez bring the number of Astros who’ve represented the AL since 2017 to 29, which is a record in itself. The AL under Baker squeezed out a 3-2 victory over the National League (NL) a year ago, with Valdez earning the win after tossing a scoreless inning, the station reported. According to the Astros, a sore left ankle has sidelined Valdez since late last month, with the southpaw currently sitting on a 7-6 record and a 2.49 earned run average (ERA).

Sports Illustrated (SI) reported that Valdez is eyeing either a Thursday or Friday return to action. The Astros are slated to face the Seattle Mariners, the hosts of the upcoming All-Star Game, at Minute Maid Park before the nearly weeklong break, the national sports media outlet reported.