Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez's 2020 season is over after just two games. Alvarez suffered a partial tear of the patella tendon in his right knee, Houston manager Dusty Baker told reporters. He will undergo surgery next week to repair the knee.
Recent comments from Baker suggested that Alvarez's knee issues are recurring. "I asked [Alvarez] when did he start having these problems, and he said back in Double-A," Baker told reporters on Monday. "Most of the time when you have knee problems, they don't subside very quickly. And when they do, they have a history of coming back."
Alvarez, 23, opened the 2020 season on the injured list because of COVID-19, which caused him to miss all of the spring training restart. He played his first game of the 2020 season on Friday, and in two games and nine plate appearances, he put up a slash line of .250/.333/.625 with one home run.
Last season, Alvarez barged to AL Rookie of the Year honors for Houston with a standout OPS+ of 172 and 27 home runs in 87 games. When healthy, he's an important part of an Astros lineup that thus far in 2020 hasn't quite lived up to the high expectations (they presently rank sixth in the AL in runs scored).
While Alvarez is sidelined for the season, Abraham Toro figures to get primary DH duty for Houston. The Astros entered play on Wednesday night with a 13-10 record. Houston has won six consecutive games. The Astros are currently in second place in the American League West, 2 1/2 games behind the Oakland Athletics.
