Yordan Alvarez Undergoes Surgery On Both Knees

It’s been known for more than a week that Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez would undergo surgery to repair a torn patellar tendon in his right knee, but the Astros on Friday announced that the reigning Rookie of the Year also underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee as well. That procedure is being termed by the Astros as a “routine cleanup.” The club’s press release indicates that the expectation is for Alvarez to “be ready to play prior to the start of Spring Training” next year.

Knee problems have plagued Alvarez, 23, throughout his professional career — even prior to his big league debut in 2019. On the one hand, it’s discouraging to hear of a dual knee procedure for such a young player, but on the other, the organization surely hopes that these operations will alleviate what has been a longstanding issue for a player who burst onto the scene as one of MLB’s best young hitters.

Alvarez didn’t make his Major League debut until June 9, 2019, but he still launched 27 home runs, ripped 26 doubles and plated 78 runs in just over half a season’s worth of games. Alvarez played in 87 contests last year and batted .313/.412/.655 over the life of 369 plate appearances. He won’t be eligible for arbitration until the 2022-23 offseason and can be controlled via that arbitration system all the way through the 2025 campaign.