As the Astros approach their seventh AL West title in eight seasons, slugger Yordan Alvarez was not in the starting lineup for the series opener against the Mariners on Monday due to a right knee injury he sustained the previous day in a loss to the Angels.
Alvarez, who had started the game in left field and was 2-for-2, left after suffering a right knee contusion from a hard slide into second base. He appeared to be in pain after the slide, bending over to massage his knee before limping off the field. Alvarez previously underwent arthroscopic surgery on both knees in August 2020 due to earlier issues, including a slight tear of the patellar tendon in his right knee. Since then, he hasn’t experienced major knee problems, but the Astros have been cautious in managing his time in the outfield.
