HOUSTON (AP) — Yordan Alvarez has a sprained right knee and won't play in Houston's series against Seattle, which goes through Wednesday.

Alvarez left Sunday's game against the Angels when he was injured sliding into second base on a double in the third inning.

Manager Joe Espada said that Alvarez had X-rays after the game Sunday and an MRI on Monday. He said after Houston's 6-1 loss to Seattle on Monday night that Alvarez had sprained his knee and wouldn't be available for the next two games.

The Astros are a win away from clinching the AL West title.

Espada added that he spoke with the slugger Monday morning and that he woke up feeling “pretty sore.”

Alvarez leads the Astros with .308 average, 35 home runs and 86 RBIs.

Jason Heyward was in the lineup in left field in place of Alvarez on Monday for Houston.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

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.

BRAD WAKAI

Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he did work at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports.

Brad currently covers the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros for Sports Illustrated/FanNation. He is also the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continues to cover Penn State athletics.

Brad is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, discussing topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports.

You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai

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HOUSTON (SportsRadio 610)- Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez suffered a right knee contusion in the third inning of Sunday's 9-8 loss to the Los Angeles Angels.

Astros manager Joe Espada said Alvarez was "pretty sore" and undergoing imaging on the knee, so it was too early to determine the significance of the injury.

The injury occurred when Alvarez slid into second base after he doubled in the third inning. He was slow to get up, prompting Espada and Astros assistant athletic trainer Eric Velazquez from the dugout. Alvarez was removed from the game and replaced by Mauricio Dubón.

"Not what I wanted to see," Espada said. "When I run out there and it's pretty sore. Just when he slid, and just his weight on the knee, just the way he landed (caused the injury), so hopefully we get some good news here."

Alvarez went 2-for-2 on Sunday after he hit a home run in a four hit game on Saturday. He is the Astros team leader in batting average (.308), home runs (35), and RBI (86).