Alvarez is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Marlins, Stephen J. Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Alvarez's day off Wednesday is likely related to the left-handed Brad Hand on the mound for the Marlins. Sean Rodriguez will start at first base in his place, batting seventh for the Pirates.

Alvarez is not in the lineup Sunday against the Mets, Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune reports.

Alvarez will get a routine day off, as manager Clint Hurdle will use a lineup composed entirely of right-handers (minus starting pitcher Francisco Liriano) against Mets' southpaw Jonathan Niese. The absence of Alvarez is not performance-related, at least, as the 28-year-old has collected six base hits (including two home runs) in his last five games.

Alvarez went 2-for-4 Saturday with two RBI and his eighth home run of the season.

As expected, Alvarez's .233 batting average isn't helping much, but with three home runs in his last seven games he's now on pace for his third 30+ HR campaign in the last four years.

Alvarez went 2-for-5 with his seventh homer Tuesday against the Twins.

The third baseman is batting .250/.342/.490 against right-handed pitching (in 120 plate appearances) and is 1-for-15 against lefties. He became the third player in PNC Park history to hit a ball into the Allegheny River -- albeit into a boat -- Tuesday off of Ricky Nolasco. The Pirates are still waiting for one of his vaunted mid-season tears, he hasn't had one since 2013.

Alvarez is out of Saturday's lineup against the Cubs, Jay Cohen of the AP reports.

The left-handed Alzarez is sitting along with Gregory Polanco against Jon Lester, so chalk it up to Clint Hurdle using matchups to find rest for his starters.

Alvarez hit his second homer in 22 games Friday, going 3-for-6 with two runs scored and an RBI.

He missed a catchable line drive at first base Friday and continues to display so-so instincts in the field. Alvarez entered Friday with a .169/.295/.277 line in his last 78 plate appearances. He could sit Saturday with southpaw, Jon Lester, on the mound for the Cubs.

Alvarez is not in the starting lineup Wednesday against Phillies left-hander Cole Hamels.

Corey Hart and Sean Rodriguez will join the lineup, while Alvarez and Gregory Polanco are on the pine Wednesday night. Alvarez is hitting just .210/.304/.410 this season, but he's gone deep five times over 100 at-bats.

Alvarez is not in the lineup Sunday against the Cardinals, Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune reports.

Alvarez has made nine straight starts at first base, but will take a seat Sunday in favor of Corey Hart. With southpaw Tyler Lyons set to take the mound for the Cardinals, the timing was right for Alvarez to receive a day of rest.

Alvarez went 1-for-2 with two runs scored and a pair of walks Saturday.

The Cardinals have pitched Alvarez with kid glove care, walking him nine times in five games. After stroking three home runs in his first seven tilts, the first baseman is batting .179/.291/.328 with two dingers and nine RBI in 79 plate appearances.

Alvarez is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Cubs.

Just as he did last Tuesday when the Pirates squared off against Cubs starter Travis Wood -- whom Alvarez is 1-for-18 lifetime against -- Alvarez will be held out in favor of Corey Hart.

Alvarez is out of the lineup Tuesday against the Cubs.

Alvarez has just a 1-for-18 career mark against lefty Travis Wood, so it comes as no surprise that manager Clint Hurdle has chosen to start Corey Hart at first base instead. It appears Alvarez and Hart will be deployed in a fairly strict platoon at first base for the time being.

Alvarez went 2-for-4 with his second home run Friday against the Brewers.

He's started all four games at first base with the opposition throwing right-handed pitchers. Unsurprisingly, Alvarez has already struck out eight times without walking, but last year when he tried to be better discipline his entire approach suffered. It's early, but a return to 2012 or 2013 numbers seems like a possibility with Alvarez.

Alvarez went 2-for-4 with his first homer of the year Thursday against the Reds.

After going a quiet 1-for-6 over the first two games of the season, Alvarez flashed his power, but also struck out two more times -- he's now got four whiffs in 10 at-bats so far this season. Expect Alvarez to start at first base every time the Pirates face a right-hander.

Alvarez hit two dingers -- including a grand slam -- in an 18-4 romp of Philadelphia on Monday.

He's hit four homers with 15 RBI and a .325 batting average in Grapefruit League action, but a 2:9 BB:K ratio continues to tamper expectations. By all accounts, Alvarez has made a decent transition from third base to first and figures to see the bulk of starts while platooning with Corey Hart.

Alvarez hit two doubles and a home run Friday, raising his spring batting average to .381 (8-for-21).

Alvarez went opposite field for his dinger -- an approach he tried unsuccessfully in 2014. He's slated to start the season in a platoon with Corey Hart. Alvarez's transition from third base to first has seemingly gone smoothly, though the infielder still holds a desire to start at the hot corner.

Alvarez (elbow) returned to the lineup Friday and went hitless in two at-bats.

He played five innings against the Twins before leaving the contest. Alvarez, who co-led the NL with 36 homers two seasons ago, holds one of the biggest potential ranges of outcomes in 2015.

Manager Clint Hurdle said Wednesday that Alvarez (elbow) went through an aggressive workout and came through fine, and that he's good to go, Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Alvarez hyperextended his elbow Sunday, but it appears the issue wound up minor, as he should be fine to go in the future. It's unclear when he is slated to rejoin the lineup, but it should be at some point in the near future.

Alvarez suffered a hyperextended elbow Sunday, CBS Sports reports.

Alvarez said that he's still able to work out, but he'll still be held out of the team's next few spring training games. Manager Clint Hurdle mentioned that he was not conerned, so it appears to be more of a precautionary measure than an indication of a larger issue.

Alvarez won his arbitration case and will be paid $5.75 million in 2015, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports.

Alvarez shaved nearly five percent off his strikeout rate (from 30.3% to 25.4%) and improved his walk rate to a career-best 10.1% last season, but his 2014 campaign was largely a disappointment. The 28-year-old hit just .208/.250/.375 in the second half, ultimately losing his starting job at third base before a foot injury ended his season. He's expected to open 2015 at first base for the Pirates, looking to return to the 30-homer level for the third time in four years.

Alvarez skipped the Pirates' minicamp last week despite the team's intention to teach and play him at a new position (first base) in 2015.

The organization and Alvarez have been unable to agree upon a contract for 2015 and are headed for arbitration. Pittsburgh recently hired former first baseman, Kevin Young, as a special assistant and one of Young's first duties was to help Alvarez transition from third base to first -- but the enigmatic slugger chose to skip the voluntary workouts. Alvarez has two seasons left with Pittsburgh before he becomes an unrestricted free agent. The Scott Boras-represented infielder is unlikely to sign a long-term with the Pirates and could be traded if and when he rebuilds his trade value.