DENVER – Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez will undergo new season-ended knee surgery to repair a partial tear in his patella tendon, public manager Dusty Baker said on Wednesday.
The diagnosis provides some finality for Alvarez, the reigning American League Rookie of the Year who fought persistent and mysterious knee pain throughout his 89-game career. Baker expressed optimism that Alvarez will be ready for spring training next February.
This February, Alvarez told The Chronicle that he was “trying to manage it (the pain) as best he could” throughout the 2019 season. voted American League Rookie of the Year.
Alvarez missed the first 18 games of this season while fighting COVID-19. He appeared in two games before more knee pain forced him to the injured list on Tuesday.
“You know it’s been bothering him for a while,” said Astros manager Dusty Baker. “The diagnosis this time was different than in the spring training.”
Alvarez was unavailable to reporters on Wednesday. Baker said he spoke to the 23-year-old slugger on Tuesday. According to Baker, Alvarez’s spirits were “not really good.”
“I asked him how he felt and he told me he felt bad,” Baker said. “That’s pretty much all he said.”
Specifications surrounding Alvarez’s injury were tight and discussed both Astros’ regimes.
Former manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow never gave a reason as a diagnosis for Alvarez’s accident. Alvarez was sidelined for most of Grapefruit League play this spring with ambiguous pain. General manager James Click said in February that Alvarez had undergone an MRI that came back clean.
Alvarez underwent an MRI on Monday. According to Baker, that did not open up any structural damage. The manager said Alvarez sought a second opinion on Tuesday.
“Sometimes the MRIs and scans don’t show everything,” Baker said on Wednesday. “You hope they do, but sometimes they don’t.”
Alvarez’s 2020 season featured just nine flat appearances. His first ended on Friday with a three-run home run in the Crawford Boxes at Minute Maid Park on Friday, and invited optimism that his arrival could deliver a lethargic Astros lineup.
Baker moved to Alvarez after clearing space for Saturday’s game against the Mariners. He went 1-for-4, but did not appear comfortable running the bases. Alvarez went from first base to third base on Yuli Gurriel’s second finished double. His slide in third base “did not look really nice,” according to Baker.
It is unclear whether the baserunning caused Alvarez to tear the tendon or if the condition existed beforehand.
“You’re not really sure when it happened or if it just happened through decay and time,” Baker said. “We really do not know when it happened, but this is nothing new. This has been bothering him for a while, so we decided to do something about it now. ”
Alvarez’s absence could reduce an Astros lineup that is already struggling to score runs. Houston went Wednedsay’s game against the Rockies by nine runs in their past four outings. Both George Springer (wrist) and Michael Brantley (quad) overcame injuries. Brantley still lives on the injured list and is unavailable until at least Saturday.
Six-time All-Star Jose Altuve is still one of the sport’s worst hitters. His .517 OPS is fourth lowest among qualified players. Kyle Tucker, who could now be impressed on more playing time, just has a .577 OPS.
“You just have to do what you have to do and hope you do your best to mix and match and maintain a positive attitude throughout the team,” Baker said.
