The New York Mets may have avoided the worst-case scenario regarding the health of their star catcher.
When Francisco Alvarez landed on the 10-day injured list on Aug. 19 with a sprained UCL in his right thumb, the initial fear was that he would be lost for the season. As it is, the injury will eventually require surgery.
However, Alvarez alleviated some of those fears Tuesday, saying prior to the teamâs game against the Philadelphia Phillies that he is pain-free and believes he can return before the year is over.
âItâs surprising,â Alvarez told reporters through an interpreter. âI thought initially when I got injured that there would be more pain or just a level of discomfort, but up to this point thereâs been none of that.â
The 23-year-old, who missed the seasonâs first 25 games with a hamate fracture in his left hand, is hitting .265 with seven home runs, 24 RBI and a .787 OPS.
When Did Francisco Alvarez Get Injured?
Alvarez sustained his injury Aug. 17 on a head-first slide into second base against the Seattle Mariners. He stayed in the game to run the bases but was removed the next half-inning.
The timing couldnât have been much worse for Alvarez, whose bat had started to heat up after a slow start. Since returning from a brief demotion to the minor leagues in late July, Alvarez is slashing .323/.408/.645 with four homers and 13 RBI in 71 plate appearances. Furthermore, his OPS in August is a robust 1.059.
While Luis Torrens and Hayden Senger have held down the fort in Alvarezâs absence, neither offers the same level of upside offensively.
What is the Plan for Francisco Alvarez?
Alvarez has resumed swinging a bat and is expected to begin a rehab assignment Wednesday, according to Newsdayâs Laura Albanese.
Alvarezâs speedy recovery has stunned the Mets, including manager Carlos Mendoza.
âI couldnât believe it (Sunday), somebody sent me a video of him hitting back here at Citi Field,â Mendoza said, via MLB.com âWhen I was looking at it, I was like, âThereâs no way this guy is swinging the bat.ââ
General manager David Stearns said on âThe Showâ podcast with the New York Post’s Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman that Alvarez has bounced back as well as anyone couldâve hoped.
âThe swelling and inflammation calmed down pretty quickly, he started to regain strength in his thumb pretty quickly,â Stearns said. âWe were able to get him a ⦠custom-made splint, our medical staff did a tremendous job of fitting him for a splint that seems to work pretty well and that heâs able to hit with.
âTo this point, post-injury, it could not have gone better.â
Stearns added that the true test will come when Alvarez returns to game action.
The Mets entered Wednesday 70-61, six games behind the first-place Phillies in the NL East but 2.5 games ahead of the Cincinnati Reds for the final NL wild card.
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