A day after a nasty outfield collision sent them both into concussion testing, Yordan Alvarez and Jeremy Peña did not start Thursday’s game against the New York Yankees while awaiting clearance from Houston’s medical staff.

Both Alvarez and Peña were around the team pregame and inside the clubhouse. The Astros informed reporters they were not available for interviews due to the medical testing.  

“We’re still trying to see if they can get cleared from the doctor,” manager Dusty Baker said. “We’ll find out some time close to game time. They have to go through some further tests to make sure they’re able to play.”

Before the game, Baker said he would not change his starting lineup if Alvarez or Peña got clearance to play. He did not know whether he’d use either man off the bench if given the opportunity. 

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In the absence of his two young starts, Baker started Aledmys Díaz in left field, Mauricio Dubón at shortstop and rookie J.J. Matijevic at designated hitter.

Baker reiterated on Thursday what he said in the aftermath of Wednesday’s grisly scene: the Astros avoided a total disaster. 

Both Peña and Alvarez remained down for a few minutes following the collision — one in which Peña was de-cleated after running into Alvarez, who absorbed a forearm to the bridge of his nose. Alvarez needed a cart to leave the field, but walked onto it without assistance. That the two flew back to Houston with the team on Wednesday night was a positive sign, too.

“It could have been a lot, lot worse,” Baker said. “You’re always just hoping and praying for the best in a bad situation. They’re looking pretty good.”

Chandler Rome joined the Houston Chronicle in 2018 to cover the Astros after spending one year in Tuscaloosa covering Alabama football - during which Nick Saban asked if he attended college. He did, at LSU, where he covered the Tigers baseball team for nearly four years. He covered most of the Astros' 2015 playoff run, too, as an intern for MLB.com