The Pirates could promote third baseman Pedro Alvarez as soon as this week. Pittsburgh general manager Neal Huntington didn't rule out the possibility when speaking on weekly radio show Sunday. "No, I won't rule it out," Huntington said. "Our [initial] feel was closer to the end of the month, but Pedro has responded well to the challenge of these other two guys going up," a reference to the Jose Tabata-Brad Lincoln callups last week that prompted an Alvarez homer-triple-double performance. "It's something we've got to talk about more internally. Sometimes, players can push those timetables forward because of adjustments they make." Alvarez ranks second in the International League in extra base hits (32), is tied for second in RBIs (52), is fourth in home runs (13) and fifth in hits (65).