Alvarez (knee) underwent an MRI on Monday, and the results were negative, Alyson Footer of MLB.com reports.
That the results were negative is promising, but the power-hitting Alvarez is not necessarily in the clear. "I asked him when did he start having these problems, and he said back in Double-A," Houston manager Dusty Baker said. "Most of the time when you have knee problems, they don't subside very quickly. And when they do, they have a history of coming back." Alvarez could be available in a pinch-hitting role in the short term.