HOUSTON -- Because of injuries, the Astros have had designated hitter Yordan Alvarez and second baseman Jose Altuve in the starting lineup together for only 13 of the team’s first 101 games and have still managed to stay on the heels of the Rangers in the American League West race.

So you can imagine the level of enthusiasm that shot through Houston’s clubhouse when the club activated both before Wednesday's series finale against the Rangers at Minute Maid Park.

“I’m ready to play here,” Altuve said on Tuesday. “I really miss playing with my teammates, so I think we’re going to go straight to games.”

Both players went through pregame drills on Tuesday, including hitting on the field, and were given a final evaluation when they arrived at the ballpark Wednesday. Altuve has been out since July 3, and Alvarez since June 8 -- both with oblique injuries.

“It’s a good thing,” general manager Dana Brown said. “It feels like part of a trade. These guys that have been out for so much of the season, it feels like we’re acquiring two players, and that’s an impactful thing for this club and what they mean to this club.”

In corresponding moves, infielders David Hensley and Bligh Madris were optioned to Triple-A Sugar Land.

Alvarez strained his right oblique swinging the bat June 8 in Toronto and has missed 39 games. At the time of the injury, Alvarez was leading the Major Leagues with 55 RBIs in 57 games and had started 36 consecutive games after missing four games with neck stiffness. He played three games on a Minor League rehab assignment over the weekend.

Altuve, who missed the first 43 games of the regular season after fracturing his thumb in the World Baseball Classic, strained his left oblique during batting practice prior to the Astros’ July 4 game. He’s appeared in only 32 games so far this year, slashing .264/.371/.479 with six homers and 18 RBIs. Unlike Alvarez, Altuve will bypass a Minor League rehab assignment.

“He feels like his timing is pretty good, and that’s why tomorrow we’ll have a better feel for it,” Brown said on Tuesday. “For the veterans, [no rehab assignment] doesn’t bother me one bit. These guys are true professionals, and Altuve is in really, really good shape. There’s no concern at all. And if he has to pull back, he’ll pull back.”

Houston averaged 4.5 runs per game and had a .712 OPS from the start of the regular season through June 8, the day Alvarez was injured. Since June 9, the Astros’ offense is averaging 5.1 runs per game with a .755 OPS without Alvarez, as Kyle Tucker, Alex Bregman, Chas McCormick and Yainer Diaz have emerged as dangerous offensive threats

Houston’s pitching staff, which has been down three injured starters most of the season, has regressed somewhat the last six weeks. As a result, the bullpen has handled a heavy workload, which is why Brown said Tuesday the club’s main pursuits at the Trade Deadline are a starting pitcher and a reliever.

The Astros would still like to add a left-handed bat prior to the Deadline, but getting Alvarez and Altuve back in the lineup is bigger than any trade acquisition.