Yordan

Alvarez

As planned, Alvarez took it quite slow on the bases. His double came in the ninth, and he was removed for a pinch-runner afterwards.

Alvarez will hit second against probable Cy Young Tarik Skubal after missing the last week with a knee bruise. The full lineup for the Astros against Skubal: Joe Altuve 2B, Alvarez DH, Kyle Tucker RF, Alex Bregman 3B, Yanier Diaz C, Jeremy Peña SS, Victor Caratini 3, Mauricio Dubón LF and Jake Meyers in center behind Framber Valdez.

Espada noted that he’s growing more optimistic that Alvarez will be able to work in the Wild Card series against the Tigers beginning Tuesday, but there are still some boxes to check off. The 27-year-old will likely DH in those games if he can play, but obviously the offensive prowess in his left-handed bat can make an impact from the designated hitter position.

If all goes well, it sounds like he has a chance of being on the Wild Card roster as a DH. Alvarez hasn’t played since last Sunday due to a sprained knee.

Manager Joe Espada said Alvarez would have to resume baseball activities before being penciled on to the Wild Card roster next week. When he does return, it’ll be as a designated hitter.

Barring a big change of events, Alvarez will miss the rest of the regular season. The Astros say he is improving, so he might be a possibility to DH at the beginning of the postseason.

Alvarez still isn’t able to turn on his right knee, which is the front knee for the left-handed slugger. He hopes to get at-bats this weekend, but that depends on if the swelling in his knee subsides. Ideally, Alvarez would make it back into games before the Astros have to play in the playoffs, which would also help his fantasy managers.

It’s possible he’ll play some this weekend, but any sort of knee sprain is more than a four-day injury, and he’ll presumably be limited to DHing once he does return. There’s almost no chance of the Astros earning a bye, so they’ll badly need him ready to play early next week.

Alvarez’s X-rays didn’t reveal a fracture, but he is dealing with some inflammation following Sunday’s awkward slide. Maybe he’ll make it back, but we wouldn’t want to have to count on him in fantasy leagues this week. Jason Heyward and Jon Singleton could be in line for extra playing time while Alvarez is out.

We should know more about Alvarez’s condition soon, but his right knee is sore enough to keep him from DHing tonight, it seems.