AL West Notes: Alvarez, McCormick, Sborz, Drury

Yordan Alvarez’s status is the biggest question mark facing the Astros as the postseason begins, but manager Joe Espada said Alvarez will take batting practice tomorrow.  “That’s a really good sign.  Just the fact that he’s able to hit and rotate and do stuff that a couple days ago I thought he wasn’t going to be able to do in a matter of days,” Espada told reporters, including Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle.

Alvarez hasn’t played since suffering a knee sprain while sliding on September 22, and it seems possible that the Astros might not tip their hand about his availability until Tuesday morning, when they have to release their rosters for their AL Wild Card Series with the Tigers.  Waiting until the relative last minute makes it harder for the Tigers to prepare, and it also gives Alvarez and the Astros as much time as possible to evaluate the star slugger’s knee health.

Outfielder Chas McCormick might be another late roster decision, though MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart writes (X link) that McCormick took live batting practice today and is set for another live BP session tomorrow.  McCormick has been sidelined since September 10 due to a fracture in his right hand, but has been able to take part in other baseball activities over the past week.

More from the AL West…

• Recurring shoulder problems sent Josh Sborz to the injured list four different times this season, and limited the Rangers reliever to only 17 games and 16 1/3 innings.  Sborz told Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News that he is going to consult Dr. Neal ElAttrache about the problem, and whether or not surgery could possibly be required.  “For me, not having any understanding of it is what’s killing me the most,” Sborz said.  “You get hurt, you want to understand it so you can mitigate the risk of it coming back.  I’d like to get clarity, but the crappy thing about shoulders is there isn’t a lot of clarity.”  Surgery and a lengthy recovery could turn Sborz into a non-tender candidate for the Rangers as he enters his second year of arbitration eligibility, which would be a tough outcome for a pitcher who was a key part of the Texas bullpen during the 2023 postseason.  Sborz earned $1.025MM this season, and is due just a minimal raise because of all the time spent on the IL.
• Brandon Drury hit only .169/.242/.228 over 360 plate appearances for the Angels this season, with a 34 wRC+ that was by far the worst of any player in the majors with at least 350 PA.  Migraines and some nagging injuries played a role in these struggles, but Drury told Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register that some swing changes last offseason might’ve been the biggest culprit, as his attempts to add exit velocity backfired badly.  It all added up to a rough platform year as Drury enters free agency, and the 32-year-old might have to settle for either a minor league contract or a small guaranteed deal heading into his 11th MLB season.  Assuming Drury figures things out with his offseason prep, there’s seemingly some good bounce-back potential, as Drury hit a very solid .263/.313/.493 over 1179 PA from 2021-23.