Astros' Alvarez makes progress while rehabbing hand injury

Yordan Alvarez’s lingering hand soreness has continued to bother the Houston Astros slugger this spring, yet he took a noteworthy step on Friday when he hit the batting cage to take some soft-toss swings.

Alvarez emerged from the session with no problems, though manager Dusty Baker didn’t give reporters (including The Houston Chronicle’s Chandler Rome) any hints about Alvarez’s next steps. Neither Baker nor Astros GM Dana Brown have seemed overly concerned about Alvarez’s injury, and in lieu of any other developments, it would appear as though the ALCS MVP will be in the Astros’ lineup come Opening Day.

More updates on other injury situations from around the American League…

• Dylan Moore has yet to play this spring as he recovers from offseason core surgery, but the Seattle Mariners utilityman is “closing in on playing,” according to GM Jerry Dipoto. In an interview on the Brock and Salk Show on Seattle Sports 710AM radio, Dipoto said Moore is on pace to be part of the Opening Day roster, and Moore is “now at full-go on the backfields and running, changing direction, and all those good things.” Dipoto also feels Tommy La Stella will be set for the Mariners’ opener, though La Stella has been battling an elbow injury. The team’s plan is to ease La Stella back into action as a DH, and then get him some fielding work in games early next week.
• Josh Winder threw a bullpen session on Wednesday and is slated for another bullpen during the weekend, the Minnesota Twins told reporters (including Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune).  Wednesday’s outing marked Winder’s first bullpen of the spring, as the right-hander has been bothered by a sore shoulder. This particular injury is especially troublesome for Winder given that shoulder problems also hampered him in each of the last two seasons, though if he is able to get back into game action relatively soon, he can still be an option for the Twins’ season-opening bullpen.
• A posterior knee muscle strain has sidelined Matt Vierling for the last few days, but the Detroit Tigers outfielder will be back to baseball-related activities as soon as this weekend, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press writes. Acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies as part of the Gregory Soto trade in January, Vierling is projected for regular duty in Detroit’s outfield this season, after being mostly a part-time player in his first two MLB seasons in Philadelphia.