Alvarez (knee) will do some hitting and running Monday at Minute Maid Park to test out his potential availability for the wild-card series, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Astros manager Joe Espada had said Sunday that Alvarez was going to take batting practice Monday, and now he's revealed that the slugger will do some running, too. How he feels during and after the workout will determine whether Alvarez will be part of the team's roster for the first round of the postseason. Alvarez has missed a little over a week of action with a right knee sprain.

Santos, who was activated from the injured list last Monday, subsequently made two relief appearances during which he fired two scoreless innings while allowing one hit and recording one strikeout.

Santos got back on the bump at the major-league level for the first time since July 31 when he earned his second hold with a scoreless seventh inning in the series opener against the Athletics on Friday. He logged one more frame during Sunday's regular-season finale, getting through the eighth inning on just nine pitches. It was a modest but encouraging season-ending sample for Santos, who didn't make his 2024 debut until July due to a lat strain and then missed nearly two months with a biceps injury. The hard-throwing right-hander played on a one-year deal this season, and it remains to be seen if the Mariners will want to take another look considering Santos logged all of 7.1 innings across eight appearances due to the injuries.

Royals manager Matt Quatraro said that Pasquantino (thumb) will hit in the cage Monday and the team will see how he feels Tuesday before determining whether he'll be included on the wild-card roster, Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Quatraro also noted that, if Pasquantino does make the roster, he would be used only as a designated hitter. Pasquantino has made a rapid recovery after having surgery in early September to repair a fractured right thumb. It seems as though he will play in the ALDS against the Orioles as long as he doesn't suffer a setback between now and when rosters are set.

Lee went 1-for-5 with two RBI and a stolen base Sunday against the Tigers.

Lee has split time with Chuckie Robinson in September after struggling for the second half of the campaign. Since the All-Star break, he has maintained just a .242 wOBA and .558 OPS. Top prospect Edgar Quero could be ready to challenge Lee for playing time early next season.

Burleson went 2-for-4 with a walk and three RBI in Sunday's 6-1 win over the Giants.

Burleson hit an RBI single in the fifth inning and drove in two more runs with another single in the sixth. While he was a bright spot for most of 2024 for the Cardinals, Burleson hit just .202 and slugged a mere .226 in September while slipping back into a strong-side platoon role. He finishes the year with a .269/.314/.420 slash line, 21 home runs, 78 RBI, 71 runs scored, 20 doubles and nine stolen bases over 152 games.

Ramos went 2-for-4 with a walk, two RBI and two runs scored Sunday against the Tigers.

Ramos started 14 games in September after being recalled Sept. 4. He showed some decent pop by collecting three homers and five total extra-base hits in 59 plate appearances. He hit just .208, but a 23.7 percent strikeout rate isn't all that concerning. Ramos should be in position to compete for the starting third base job in 2025.

Hernaiz entered Sunday's loss to the Mariners as a defensive replacement at third base in the seventh inning and went 1-for-1 with a two-run double.

Hernaiz made things interesting during his only plate appearance, doubling home Seth Brown and Zack Gelof in the ninth inning to slice a four-run deficit in half. The young infielder played only 48 games at the major-league level during his rookie 2024 campaign, with a near two-month stay on the injured list due to an ankle issue playing a large part. Hernaiz finished with just a .192 average and .503 OPS across 135 plate appearances; however, the combination of his adequate 8.1 percent walk rate and 20.0 percent strikeout rate in his first brush with big-league arms and his career .294/.358/.424 minor-league slash line imply he could certainly take a notable step forward if he remains healthy in 2025.

Carlson went 3-for-4 with an RBI on Sunday against the Red Sox.

Carlson has started only 12 of 27 games in September while working as a depth outfielder, but he ended his season on a strong note. He hit only .219 with a .615 OPS after being dealt to the Rays, so he could remain a bench bat for the team heading into 2025.

Nevin went 1-for-3 with a two-run double in a loss to the Mariners on Sunday.

Drawing his second consecutive start, Nevin finally put the Athletics' first two runs of the day on the board with his seventh-inning two-bagger, which plated Seth Brown and Tyler Soderstrom. The veteran finished the season with hits in three straight games, but after a hot start that saw him hit .313 over his first 26 contests, Nevin produced an anemic .148/.247/.253 slash line across 186 plate appearances (62 games) the rest of the way at the big-league level.

Brown went 2-for-4 with a double and two runs in a loss to the Mariners on Sunday.

Brown posted the only multi-hit effort of the afternoon for the Athletics in the season finale, his first performance with a pair of knocks since Sept. 6. The productive afternoon prevented him from heading into the offseason mired in a slump, as he'd gone just 2-for-24 over the prior seven games. The 2024 campaign was essentially a tale of two seasons for Brown -- he earned himself a mid-June outright assignment to Triple-A Las Vegas by posting a .189 average, .557 OPS and 33.8 percent strikeout rate over his first 63 games, but he generated a .271 average and .760 OPS across 61 games upon returning shortly before the All-Star break, striking out at a more modest 22.4 percent clip in the process.