Mets' Francisco Alvarez may be near return
New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez at Citi Field on Monday. Credit: Ed Murray
It was only about a week ago that the Mets feared that they might be losing Francisco Alvarez for the remainder of the season to yet another hand injury. On Monday, the talk was about how quickly he might return.
Alvarez was on the field taking batting practice and looking good doing it before the Mets opened their three-game series against the Phillies at Citi Field. He also caught a bullpen session and manager Carlos Mendoza said he could be on a minor-league rehab assignment as early as Wednesday. Alvarez will again take BP Tuesday and, if he feels no discomfort, will be playing in a game one of the two following days.
It’s potentially a major development for the Mets in their stretch run for a playoff spot.
Alvarez got hurt diving into second base late in the Aug. 17 win over Seattle in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and was diagnosed with a sprained UCL in his right thumb. In the last five games he started before going on the 10-day injured list, he hit .450 with three home runs and nine RBIs.
“I couldn’t believe it — [Sunday] somebody sent me a video of him hitting here back in Citi Field and when I was looking at it, I was like ‘There’s no way this guy swinging the bat like that,’ ” Mendoza said Monday afternoon. “If everything goes well today and tomorrow, the plan is for him to be playing in a minor-league game Wednesday or Thursday. That’s pretty impressive.”
The one outstanding concern beyond hitting is how fit he is to control an opponent’s running game after injuring his throwing hand.
“We’ve got to see the throwing part,” Mendoza said.
Mendoza was asked about the possibility of using Alvarez as the designated hitter if he has issues throwing to bases and replied, “That’s a tough one.”
Of late, Starling Marte and Mark Vientos have been two of the Mets’ most productive hitters and the pair account for 14 of the 21 starts at DH this month. Over his last seven games entering play Monday, Vientos had a .367/.387/.964 slash line with five home runs. Marte hit .429 on the six-game road trip that ended Sunday in Atlanta.
“If he’s swinging the bat the way he was swinging before he went down, you’ve got to find a way to get him in there as much as you can,” Mendoza said. “But also understand you’ve got a guy like Vientos who’s swinging the bat extremely well and you’ve got Marte who is doing a hell of a job.”
Elbow sends Reed Garrett to IL
The Mets placed reliever Reed Garrett on the 15-day injured list before Monday’s game. The righthander has been going through a spell of ineffectiveness and, after allowing two runs in an inning of relief in Friday’s win in Atlanta, had discomfort playing catch on Sunday. He was sent for an MRI that revealed inflammation in the elbow and is receiving a cortisone injection to treat it.
Garrett had been one of the club’s more reliable bullpen options. After he pitched a scoreless inning as an opener on Aug. 9 against the Brewers, he’d pitched 472/3 innings to a 2.43 ERA. He’s allowed runs in four of his five appearances since with a 15.43 ERA.
“We used this guy a lot and the past couple of weeks . . . he was having a hard time [recovering],” Mendoza said. “The good news . . . is the ligament is perfect . . . It’s just inflammation, so we’re probably thinking it’s just the two weeks and then he should be a player for us.”
Tylor Megill close to return
Righthander Tylor Megill, out since mid-June with elbow inflammation, had been seen as an option to start Friday against the Marlins but now will make a fourth minor-league rehab start on Thursday for Triple-A Syracuse. In his first three, he pitched 10 scoreless innings with 17 strikeouts, but the club wants him stretched to at least 75 pitches before he rejoins the rotation . . . Outfielder Jose Siri, out since mid-April with a left tibia fracture, will begin a minor-league rehab assignment with Class A Port St. Lucie this week but likely would need every bit of the 20 days allowed before he could be an option for the Mets. Said Mendoza: “He’s been pretty much out all year . . . It could be at least a couple weeks.”
Roger Rubin returned to Newsday in 2018 to write about high schools, colleges and baseball following 20 years at the Daily News. A Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2011, he has covered 13 MLB postseasons and 14 NCAA Final Fours.
