Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez was “not great” after exiting Sunday’s loss with a right knee contusion, but he may have avoided a major injury. You could feel the fear that filled Minute Maid Park on Sunday as Yordan Alvarez limped off the field in the third inning with a knee injury. Astros manager Joe Espada only added to that collective fear when speaking to the media after the game.
“Yordan is not great,” Espada said. “Not what I wanted to see. When he slid, his weight was on the knee and the way he landed. Hopefully, we get some good news here.”
Alvarez started the game in left field and was 2-for-2 before exiting with a right knee contusion after a hard slide into second base. Espada said the 27-year-old was having imaging done on his knee late Sunday to determine the extent of the injury. Alvarez is, unfortunately, no stranger to knee injuries. He struggled with knee problems for the first two years of his career and underwent arthroscopic surgery on both knees in 2020. Thankfully, he has not had any major knee injuries since.
Astros Star Yordan Alvarez May Have Dodged Serious Injury Scare
While Houston has yet to make any further statement regarding Alvarez’s knee injury, Astros broadcaster Steve Sparks told SportsTalk 790 that Alvarez “dodged a bullet.” Despite Espada’s grim postgame comments, his knee injury could be relatively minor.
“I’m hearing that they dodged a bullet. They’ll know more with how sore he is when he gets to the ballpark today.” – Steve Sparks. We’ll have the full JV conversation on our @SportsTalk790 blog soon.
— Brian LaLima (@BLima790) September 23, 2024
This would be great news for an Astros team plagued with injuries this season. Houston started the season without right-handers Luis Garcia and Lance McCullers Jr. who both underwent elbow surgery last year. The Astros rotation took another brutal blow with Cristian Javier and José Urquidy undergoing season-ending elbow surgery in June. Espada’s other power-hitting lefty, Kyle Tucker, returned to the lineup earlier this month after fracturing his shin two months ago. Both Tucker and Alvarez were on a blistering stretch, combining for 14 hits over Houston’s last three games.
Assuming his knee injury is minor, Espada could sit Alvarez for the rest of the regular season as a precaution. Houston can clinch their seventh American League West title in the past eight seasons with a win on Monday, securing their place in the postseason. Having turned their season around, losing Alvarez and his postseason heroics would be detrimental to Houston’s very-real World Series hopes.
Main Photo Credits: Orlando Ramirez-Imagn Images
