Yordan Alvarez's right hand muscle strain is "better," but the Houston Astros slugger has yet to resume swinging a bat, manager Joe Espada said Friday. Alvarez was placed on the 10-day injured list on Monday and had an MRI that showed the strain of a muscle on the top of his hand.

Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez has a strained muscle at the top of his right hand. It's a diagnosis that instills optimism he won’t have a prolonged stay on the injured list.

Alvarez flew back to Houston on Monday afternoon to visit team physicians and undergo imaging, manager Joe Espada said. Though Espada said Alvarez felt “better” on Monday, the team opted to place him on the injured list to “get it right.”