NEW YORK (AP) — New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez has a small fracture in his left pinkie after getting hit by a pitch while on a minor league rehab assignment — but it might only slow him down a few days.
with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament in his right thumb. He began a rehab assignment Wednesday night with Triple-A Syracuse and doubled his first time up against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, the New York Yankees’ top affiliate. He caught five innings, but exited the game after getting dinged on the left hand by a pitch.
Alvarez was back at Citi Field on Thursday before the Mets hosted the Miami Marlins. He was scheduled to see doctors in the afternoon.
“The early reports are, we’re just going to wait for the inflammation to come down, probably two or three days, and then we’ll get him going again,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “So this should be relatively short, but again, obviously it’s a little bit of a setback compared to what the original plan was.”
Alvarez injured the thumb on his throwing hand on a headfirst slide into second base Aug. 17 during the Major League Baseball against the Seattle Mariners in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
The injury will eventually require surgery, but Alvarez plans to return to the lineup as soon as possible and play through any pain down the stretch as New York tries to secure a playoff berth.
Now, he’s got another ailment to overcome.
“We’re not going to put him in a position where like, it’s very uncomfortable. As tough as he is, he’s human,” Mendoza said. “So, I think we’ve got to get him to a point where it’s manageable, because now we’re talking about the receiving hand, too. But again, it’s a small fracture and we’ve just got to wait. It comes down to making sure we’re not putting the player in a position where he’s in danger.”
The 23-year-old Alvarez is batting .265 with seven homers, 24 RBIs and a .787 OPS in 56 major league games this year.
New York’s top catcher, Alvarez began the season on the IL with a hamate fracture in his left hand. He was activated April 25, then demoted to the minors in June for about a month following a slow start on offense and defense.
But he was recalled July 21 and has been a force at the plate since returning, batting .323 with four homers, 11 extra-base hits, 13 RBIs and a 1.054 OPS in his last 21 games.
“Obviously, he’s frustrated. I mean, it’s been hard for him. And we’re talking about hand injuries. You know, he goes down there and first game he gets hit in that (third) at-bat. It’s not easy,” Mendoza said. “But also understanding that there’s still hope. There’s still (the feeling he will) get back this year and help us win baseball games. … He’s very strong mentally, physically, and he’ll get through this.”
Mendoza said Alvarez had no trouble making practice throws between innings for Syracuse, but he wasn’t really tested.
“The ball was coming out fine. Good intensity, good carry,” Mendoza explained. “But again, we’ve got to wait and see when it happens in real action, when he’s got to do the transfer and get the ball in the air as quick as possible and put something on the throw.”
Luis Torrens and Hayden Senger have filled in at catcher for the Mets in Alvarez’s absence.
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