A few days after suffering a freak left hand injury that required surgery, Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez talked about what he’s going through and when he might return.
And while Alvarez is clearly disappointed, he’s also determined to make it back by the shorter end of the six-to-eight week projection the club provided.
“It’s hard to lose time during the season,” Alvarez told reporters. “It’s not good. I’m working the whole offseason to try to be healthy, and that thing happened. It’s hard for my mind. It’s hard for me. But I gotta keep going.”
The hamate injury Alvarez suffered came on a swing during batting practice. He said he “felt a little pop,” and knew “something bad happened.”
As far as when Alvarez might return?
“Maybe six weeks,” he said. “My goal is to make that as quick as possible.”
Alvarez added: “They said after the third week, maybe I can start hitting. It’s on me. If my body takes more time than normal, maybe take eight weeks. But it’s very on me. If I feel comfortable, if I feel good, I can move quicker.”
The 23-year-old went through something similar last year.
He injured his thumb on April 19 against the Dodgers while taking an aggressive turn at first base and awkwardly landing on his hand. That injury required surgery to repair a torn ligament and kept him out of the lineup until June 11.
When Alvarez returned, he took a while to get going offensively. But he finished the regular season on a high note, posting a 1.000 OPS and smacking five home runs over his last 48 plate appearances from Sept. 11 to Sept. 30.
Alvarez said he didn’t think the thumb injury last year hampered his hitting upon his return.
Regarding how this injury might impact him?
“Maybe yes, maybe no,” Alvarez said. “It’s a quick recovery, so I don’t think I’m going to lose strength in my hand. I’m very strong.”
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