Pedro Alvarez (foot) will not be available if the Pirates advance to the play-in game, Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.

Alvarez (foot) will not be available if the Pirates advance to the play-in game, Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.

Analysis:

Alvarez was expected to miss 4-to-6 weeks after he was diagnosed with a stress reaction in the fourth metatarsal of his left foot on Sept. 10, so it's no surprise that he won't be available for that contest. However, if the Pirates are able to advance to the NLDS, there's a chance he could return to action, according to Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune. Pirates general manager Neal Huntington did not comment on the likelihood of this occurring, but it apparently isn't out of the realm of possibility at this point. Unfortunately, a projected playoff return is little consolation for fantasy owners who had been hanging on to him during the season's final months.