Alvarez in lineup for Game 1 of Wild Card vs. Tigers
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HOUSTON -- The Astros didn't have to set their American League Wild Card Series roster until 10 a.m. CT on Tuesday -- 3 1/2 hours prior to first pitch against the Tigers -- and the club used as much time as it could to decide about the health of slugger Yordan Alvarez.
After a team official said during the club’s workout at Minute Maid Park on Monday that it was 50-50 whether Alvarez, who sprained his right knee on Sept. 22, would be on the roster, the lineup for Game 1 had Alvarez at DH and hitting second.
The only update provided on Monday from manager Joe Espada was that Alvarez was going to hit in the batting cage and run on the field, though Alvarez wasn’t spotted on the field with his teammates during the afternoon workout.
Alvarez will likely be limited to serving as the designated hitter, with Mauricio Dubón playing left field against lefties and Jason Heyward against right-handers. Chas McCormick, who sustained a fractured bone in his right hand Sept. 10, will be on the Wild Card Series roster and could also play left field.
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Alvarez underwent arthroscopic surgery on both knees in August 2020 after sustaining knee issues the first two years of his career. He had a slight tear of the patellar tendon in his right knee, which was repaired. On July 6 in Minnesota, Alvarez was struck on the right knee by a 94 mph fastball from Joe Ryan. Alvarez was knocked to the ground and missed one game.
Alvarez had another standout season at the plate, hitting .308 with 35 homers, 34 doubles and a .959 OPS in 147 games. He had 53 multihit games, which are the most by an Astros player since Michael Brantley had 56 in 2019. Alvarez went 4-for-5 with a home run and a double in a win on Sept. 22.