After leaving Tuesday’s game early with hamstring tightness, Brett Baty has yet to return to the lineup. And in an all too familiar feeling around the New York Mets, injuries to important players might be starting to pile up. On Friday, Francisco Alvarez left the game after the top of the second inning with a left thumb injury.
Alvarez appeared to re-aggravate a thumb injury while running the bases in Friday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Manager Carlos Mendoza and trainers visited the 22-year-old after he started grimacing and holding his hand after his slide.
Francisco Alvarez is staying in the game after appearing to re-injure his thumb running the bases: pic.twitter.com/zMwLGAbuZj
— SNY (@SNYtv) April 20, 2024
While Alvarez remained in the game and later scored on a Harrison Bader single, veteran Omar Narváez immediately replaced him defensively.
Francisco Alvarez Leaves Game Early With Thumb Injury
Alvarez may have initially aggravated his thumb during Wednesday’s matchup against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The catcher’s hand appeared to bend uncomfortably during a head-first slide into second base during a successful stone base attempt.
The young Venezuelan started the season strong but has cooled down a bit. Overall, Alvarez entered Friday hitting .241 with a .663 OPS and one homer. Additionally, his Baseball Savant page features a ton of blue. Alvarez is not making good contact, striking out too much, and not walking enough.
Alvarez represented a bright spot during a tough first week. However, he has not played much of a role during the Mets current hot streak. Perhaps Alvarez’s struggles are due to him being more hurt than the public knows.
In this young season, Mendoza has sat Alvarez in favor of Narváez more often than many expected. On April 9, the manager sat Alvarez for a second time in four days and described him as “beat up.” For whatever reason, Alvarez takes a lot of foul balls and swings off his person behind the plate. It would not be surprising if one of these hits has impacted him more than anyone has let on.
If the thumb injury causes Alvarez to miss time, Narváez will likely see more playing time. In 21 plate appearances entering Friday, Narváez has a slash line of .263/.333/.316. If Alvarez gets placed on the injured list, the Mets will likely call up old friend Tomás Nido from Triple-A.
Main Photo Credits: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
