3 Astros whose playoff roster spot is up in the air following Yordan Álvarez update

Will Yordan Álvarez be back in time for the Houston Astros' series opener against the Detroit Tigers? That's the question on everyone's mind ahead of the upcoming AL Wild Card Series that's set to begin on Tuesday afternoon at Minute Maid Park.

Álvarez suffered a right knee sprain over a week ago, and hasn't returned to the Astros' lineup since. The slugger missed Houston's road trip to Cleveland over the weekend, but Astros manager Joe Espada gave a positive update as to the status of Álvarez heading into Monday.

According to Espada, Álvarez will take batting practice on Monday. The Astros' skipper veiled his optimism, however, by telling MLB.com's Brian McTaggart, “We still have Tuesday to see how he feels in the morning. There’s still some time, but I don’t want to be getting too excited about it because we still got some hurdles to get over.”

It sounds as if Álvarez's availability won't be decided until Tuesday morning. Even so, with the improvements over the past few days, it's likely that Álvarez will be part of the Astros playoff roster, even if he's absent from Tuesday's starting lineup. With that in mind, which Astros players will be waiting on pins and needles to see if they made postseason roster?

César Salazar, Astros catcher

No player on the Astros roster will be more impacted by Álvarez's availability for the AL Wild Card Series than César Salazar. Houston's backup catcher could be pushed off the roster, but if Álvarez is limited to just being a designated hitter, the injury could work to his benefit.

The Astros' added depth with Salazar playing behind Yainer Diaz has allowed Houston to slide Victor Caratini in at first base in order to get his bat in the lineup. Espada would prefer to maintain that roster depth heading into the postseason, and if Álvarez is limited to just working as the Astros' DH, Espada may look to supplement the outfield instead.

Zach Dezenzo, Astros infielder

That need for an extra outfielder could spell trouble for Zach Dezenzo. Houston made him a last minute addition to the roster last week after optioning fellow rookie Shay Whitcomb back to the minor leagues. Dezenzo definitely helped his cause with a 4-for-10 performance during the final two games of the season.

But Dezenzo, though he can play first and third base, was acting as the Astros' designated hitter last Friday and Saturday. If Álvarez is active for the Astros' AL Wild Card Series against the Tigers, it'll likely be as the DH. That may keep Dezenzo off the Astros' postseason roster entirely.

Grae Kessinger, Astros infielder

Grae Kessinger is another name to keep an eye on as the Astros are readying to make some final roster decisions. Kessinger and Dezenzo are somewhat linked together, but the former offers much better defense than the latter.

However, there's also the matter of the potential return of Chas McCormick. The outfielder has been sidelined with a hand injury, but McCormick has been ramping up baseball activities and could be added to the Astros' postseason roster.

Stay tuned, Astros fans, as there's a lot of moving parts that will help decide which players make the initial postseason roster. We'll all soon learn which 26 players Espada and Co. have chosen to lead them to what everyone in Space City hopes is a return to the ALDS and beyond. The Astros take the field for Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series against the Tigers on Tuesday at 1:32 p.m. CT.

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