CLEVELAND -- There’s an increasing chance Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez could be available to play in the best-of-three American League Wild Card Series matchup against the Tigers, which would be a huge development for manager Joe Espada’s team.

Alvarez’s availability for the AL Wild Card Series, which begins with Game 1 at 1:32 p.m. CT on Tuesday at Minute Maid Park, seemed like a long shot a few days ago, but Alvarez had a good workout on Sunday in Houston and will take batting practice at Monday’s pre-series workout.

“That’s a really good sign,” said Espada, whose team went 88-73 in his rookie season as manager following Sunday’s rainout at Progressive Field. “He checked a ton of boxes today and tomorrow, he’s going to go out and hit.”

• What's next for the Astros?

Alvarez, who hit .308 with 35 homers, 86 RBIs and a .959 OPS, suffered a sprained right knee when he slid into second base on Sept. 22 in Houston and was removed from the game. Espada said on Saturday that the swelling had subsided and Alvarez did some baseball activities on the field in Houston on Sunday.

“We’re trying to see if he wants to [hit] on the field or in the cages,” Espada said. “I would like him to hit on the field. But just the fact he’s able to hit and rotate, and do stuff that a couple of days ago I thought he wasn’t going to be able to do in a matter of days, it’s a really good sign.”

Espada cautioned there’s still medical issues Alvarez has to clear on Monday. The Astros have to set the Wild Card Series roster by Tuesday morning, prior to Game 1.

“But the fact he could go and hit tomorrow, and we can see him and talk to him, and then there’s that playoff adrenaline that kicks in and we can see how he feels post-workout, [is a good sign]” he said. “We still have Tuesday to see how he feels in the morning. There’s still some time, but I don’t want to be getting too excited about it because we still got some hurdles to get over.”

Alvarez underwent arthroscopic surgery on both knees in August 2020 after suffering knee problems 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. He was knocked to the ground and missed one game.

If Alvarez does play in the Wild Card Series, he’ll likely be limited to serving as the designated hitter, with Mauricio Dubón or Jason Heyward capable of playing left field. Chas McCormick, who sustained a fractured bone in his right hand two weeks ago and is also hoping to return this week, could also play left field.

The important thing for Houston is having Alvarez’s bat in the lineup. He has 53 multi-hit games, which are the most by an Astros player since Michael Brantley had 56 in 2019. He went 4-for-5 with a home run and a double in a Sept. 21 win over the Angels -- the game prior to him being injured.

Alvarez and Kyle Tucker, who bats third in the order behind Alvarez, both had four hits and a homer in the Sept. 21 game as they showed what a dangerous duo they can be. The Astros just haven’t been able to have them both in the lineup much this season as Tucker missed three months with a right shin fracture.

“Right now, they’re two of the best lefty hitters against lefty pitching,” Espada said last week. “I feel good about having those two guys back-to-back against lefties. Right now, I have no intention of putting a righty in between them.

“They’re so good at what they do and they get tougher when they bring a lefty in because now they’re just thinking about using the other side of the field. They're tough at-bats.”