Earlier this week the Pirates expressed concern over Pedro Alvarez’s foot injury because it had “stopped improving” and today they announced that the third baseman has a stress reaction in the fourth metatarsal of his left foot.
That typically has a 4-6 week recovery timetable, so Alvarez’s season is over and he’s unlikely to be ready for the playoffs even if the Pirates make a deep October run. Of course, healthy or not his role was in question after throwing problems got him benched at third base.
Alvarez is under team control for 2015 and 2016 via arbitration, but given his $4.25 million salary this season combined with the throwing problems and underwhelming offensive production this could signal the end of his Pirates career. They don’t trust him at third base and can probably do better--or at least cheaper--at first base.
Selected by Pittsburgh with the second overall pick in the 2008 draft out of Vanderbilt, he debuted in 2010 as a 23-year-old and has hit .235 with 104 homers and a .742 OPS in 592 games while striking out 678 times compared to 211 walks.