Houston Astros Skipper Says Yordan Alvarez 'Is Not Great' After Knee Injury

Things don't sound too great surrounding Yordan Alvarez based on the comments made by the Houston Astros manager.

Sep 22, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros left fielder Yordan Alvarez (44) holds his leg after hitting a double as Los Angeles Angels shortstop Zach Neto (9) looks on during the third inning at Minute Maid Park / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

With just one week left in the regular season, the Houston Astros are still searching for their official playoff ticket to be punched with them holding a five-game lead in their division entering Monday.

They have a chance to win the AL West for the fourth time in a row with just one win over their rival Seattle Mariners, but they will likely have to do it without one of their best players.

On Sunday, Yordan Alvarez was removed from the contest after he slid into second base during the third inning. The injury has been diagnosed as a right knee contusion, but based on the history of knee issues the star slugger has had, this was not the type of news the Astros wanted before they begin chasing their third World Series title.

All things considered, a contusion isn't the worst-case scenario, but there is some concern surrounding what this could mean for Houston and Alvarez going forward based on the comments made by manager Joe Espada.

"Yordan is not great. That's not what you want right now, but we just got to get ready for [Monday]," he said per Brian McTaggart of MLB.com.

That doesn't give anyone confidence this is a non-issue.

The slugger underwent some imaging on his knee to see if there is any further damage. He had two arthroscopic surgeries on his knees in 2020 and hasn't had issues since, something the Astros were hoping would remain constant after largely reducing him to a designated hitter despite his ability to play left field.

According to Chandler Rome of The Athletic, the X-Rays that he took on Sunday revealed "inflammation," but they are still waiting to get the results back from the MRI he took on Monday afternoon.

That will likely determine what the next steps are regarding the availability of Alvarez for the remainder of the season and into the playoffs.