Astros News: Yordan Alvarez has surgery on both knees

Houston Astros DH Yordan Alvarez underwent surgery on both knees Wednesday.

The Houston Astros announced that slugger Yordan Alvarez underwent surgery on Wednesday and will miss the remainder of the season, which was expected. However, what we didn’t expect is that the surgery was on both of his knees, as it was initially reported that the surgery would just be on his right knee.

The team’s news release confirmed that a tear of Alvarez’s patellar tendon in his right knee was repaired, while the procedure on his left knee was described as a “routine cleanup.” He will immediately begin physical therapy and is expected to be ready for Spring Training in 2021.

The reigning Rookie of the Year has had problems with his knees since he was a minor leaguer. The partially torn tendon in his right knee is what put him on the shelf after appearing in only two games this season, while the left knee is what was bothering him in Spring Training after he fouled a ball off it at some point in 2019.

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Despite that, Alvarez still managed to put up a ridiculous .313/.412/.655 line with 26 doubles, 27 homers and 78 RBIs in only 87 games in 2019. He even hit a three-run homer in his first at-bat of 2020 after battling a case of COVID-19. It’s hard to overstate the kind of impact he has on the Astros lineup.

It’s a wise decision to go ahead and take care of both knees at the same time since he’s already done for the year. It is a little concerning that he’s only 23 and already having surgery on both knees, but he doesn’t need to steal bases or even play the field. The Astros just need him to stand up there and mash.

It’s fun to imagine how effective Alvarez could be next year with his knees not bothering him anymore. The rest of the league might not find that thought so enjoyable, but Astros fans have a lot to look forward to from their favorite DH in 2021.