MINNEAPOLIS — Anthony Volpe returned to the New York Yankees‘ starting lineup on Tuesday, making his first start since getting a cortisone shot in his left shoulder.

Volpe entered the game against Minnesota hitting .206 with 19 homers in 142 games this season, playing through a small tear in his labrum for more than four months. He had a cortisone shot last week, his second this season, and returned to action as a defensive replacement in the eighth inning of New York’s 7-0 loss Monday. He did not have a plate appearance and was in Tuesday’s lineup at shortstop and batting eighth.

“I feel like he’s in a good place physically,” New York manager Aaron Boone said. “With that being said, that’s been the case most of the year. So, he’s just got to focus on what he does up at the plate and put himself in position to make good swing decisions, and hopefully click for him right away.”

Volpe aggravated the injury on Sept. 7 when he made a diving stop in a game against AL East-leading Toronto. He originally injured the shoulder in May and had a cortisone shot during the All-Star break.

Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez has a “pretty significant” left ankle sprain and will be out of the lineup indefinitely as Houston battles for a division title and an American League playoff spot as the season winds down, manager Joe Espada said Tuesday.

Espada would not give a timetable for the return of Alvarez, who continues to be on the active roster.

“This is going to keep him out for a while,” Espada said. “Let’s not get into days, weeks, any of that. We are going to take one day at a time, but this is going to take some time to heal.”

Alvarez, who underwent an MRI on Tuesday, suffered the injury while crossing home plate during Monday’s victory against the Texas Rangers. He was seen leaving the Astros clubhouse on a crutch and with a boot on his left foot.

The three-time All-Star appeared to slip as he crossed the plate in the first inning, scoring from first base on a throwing error by Rangers pitcher Jack Leiter on Carlos Correa‘s infield single. Alvarez was tended to by an athletic trainer outside the Astros’ dugout and then helped down the steps.

Espada refused to say if the team planned to place Alvarez on the injured list.

“One day at a time,” Espada said. “I’m not going to give you days, weeks, what we’re going to do next. You’re just going to have to sit down and wait.”

Alvarez is batting .273 with six home runs and 27 RBIs but has been limited to 48 games because of a fractured right hand that forced him to sit out 101 games.

Entering Tuesday, Houston is a half-game behind the Seattle Mariners in the AL West. The Astros are three games ahead of Cleveland Guardians and Texas for the final AL wild-card spot.

“We need him in there, but those are the things that we can’t control,” Espada said of Alvarez. “It’s a freak accident that happens on a baseball field and that’s not what we need right now. But we do have guys here that understand the situation that we’re in. We’ve got talent. We’ve got guys that want it. We’ve got guys that can fight and get us through this stretch.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Detroit Tigers starter Tarik Skubal is on track to take the mound Thursday against the Cleveland Guardians, less than a week after feeling tightness on his left side during his previous start.

Last Friday, in the fourth inning of a game the Tigers would lose 8-2 to the Miami Marlins, Skubal, the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner, removed himself following a 45-pitch effort. He felt the tightness in the rib cage area, raising concern about his next start.

But he completed his regular bullpen session on Monday and reported no issues.

“Everything felt good,” Skubal told reporters on Tuesday, according to the Detroit Free Press, adding that he threw with maximum effort and “probably worked a little bit harder” than usual without any discomfort. “It’s one of those weird things. I don’t really know how to explain it. Bullpen went well. Scans came back good. It’s on to the next one.”

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch was pleased with the results, as well.

“The sight of Tarik Skubal throwing off the mound was really awesome,” Hinch said on MLB Network Radio. “He threw his normal bullpen. We’re going day by day. I’ll check in with him today. We’ll continue to inch towards his next start. Right now, that’s penciled in for Thursday.”

Entering play on Tuesday, the Tigers’ magic number to seal the American League Central title was seven, but a strong showing against the second-place Guardians would reduce that number quickly.

“You want to clinch at home. It’s fun to clinch at home in front of your fans,” Skubal said. “The only bad part is celebrating in your own clubhouse, because it tends to get a little destroyed.”

Skubal is 13-5 this season with a 2.26 ERA and 224 strikeouts. On Thursday, he is in line to oppose Gavin Williams, who is 10-5 with a 3.16 ERA and 152 strikeouts for Cleveland.