Astros' Yordan Alvarez: Scratched with sore knee
The Astros scratched Alvarez from the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mariners with right knee discomfort, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic reports.
Alvarez was slated to serve as the Astros' designated hitter in what would have been his third start in as many days since returning from the COVID-19 injured list, but Abraham Toro will now handle those duties instead. As Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle noted Friday in Alvarez's season debut, the 23-year-old was still running gingerly after knee soreness had previously limited his activity during spring training. While it's somewhat troubling that Alvarez is still contending with knee problems over five months since spring training concluded, the Astros are seemingly hopeful that the slugger can continue to play through the injury while receiving occasional maintenance days. That said, Alvarez's fantasy managers will still want to verify that he's ready to play in Monday's series opener versus the Rockies before locking him into weekly lineups.
