In Photos: Astros star Yordan Alvarez's wife Monica shares glimpses of fun family time with kids Mia and Jordan

Growing up in Las Tunas, Cuba, Yordan Alvarez dreamed of a better life for himself in the future. That's why, in 2016, Alvarez risked everything, defecting to Haiti, and then to the USA.

Seven years later, the 6-foot-5 slugger seems to have landed on his feet. Now the father of two American-born children, Alvarez's wife, Monica, recently posted some snaps on her Instagram showing the family spending some quality time together at home.

"Un año más de vida , y mucho por estar agradecido" - Monica Alvarez

In English, Monica's caption translated to "one more year of life, and a lot to be grateful (for)." The Alvarez family was ostensibly celebrating Monica's birthday, complete with candle-blowing and a collection of silly sunglasses.

Despite obviously valuing family, it has not always been easy for Yordan Alvarez to be with his kin. Owing to the longstanding embargo placed against Cuba by the USA, Alvarez's parents and brother were not able to see him in an MLB game until 2022, when they finally saw Yordan compete against the Minnesota Twins at Minute Maid Park.

"Yordan's parents and brother are seeing him play professional baseball for the first time tonight at Minute Maid Park. The Alvarez family, from Cuba, arrived to Houston last Friday." - Houston Astros

A two-time All-Star and 2022 World Series winner, Alvarez's offensive output is of tremendous importance for his team. Despite missing nearly 50 games on account of injury this past season, the Cuban still managed to hit .293/.407/.583 with 31 home runs and 97 RBIs. Though a step down from his 2022 campaign, Alvarez's performance last season was enough for him to garner the second All-Star nod of his career.

A healthy Yordan Alvarez could dominate in 2024

In less than a month, Yordan Alvarez and the Astros will welcome the New York Yankees to Minute Maid Park to kick off their season. As such, Alvarez will want to cling to these special moments with family before they inevitably become far less frequent.

During the height of summer last year, Yordan Alvarez was sidelined with an oblique injury. Although the slugger was slower than normal upon his return, he still managed to put up All-Star numbers. Though he has only appeared in one game so far this spring, manager Joe Espada has been experimenting with him in the second spot in the batting order. Typically a cleanup man, perhaps sliding Alvarez's bat up further in the order is a move that's here to stay, and the results will be interesting to see.