SAN FRANCISCO — Francisco Alvarez underwent surgery to repair the torn UCL in his left thumb on Tuesday. The Mets said it will take about eight weeks before Alvarez is ready to return to the field.
Alvarez injured his thumb Friday night in Los Angeles.
“We are looking forward to eight weeks because of the position he plays in which is the left thumb receiving as a striker,” said coach Carlos Mendoza. “It’s one of those ones where we have to be careful. I know he’s going to try to push but we have to make sure we get him back healthy.
Over the past two years, four different players have undergone surgery to repair a tear in their thumb. Three of the four missed at least nine weeks of action. Fourth was Brett Batty, who missed the final six weeks of the Mets’ 2022 season and would likely need additional time to return.
Alvarez’s surgery included an internal brace in his thumb.
Mendoza said Alvarez should be able to resume baseball activities when he regains about 80 percent of his grip strength in his left thumb.
Obviously, rebuilding strength in that thumb is important to what Alvarez can do with his club swing. But it’s also very important for one of his most valuable skills: framing pitches at the bottom of the strike zone. Alvarez ranks among the major league leaders in fielding, and is at his best in the bottom of the strike zone.
Mendoza said the Mets will do everything they can over the next two months to keep Alvarez involved with the big league team, hoping that will prevent the young catcher from trying to come back before he’s ready.
“He’s going to want to push it, but just make him feel like part of the team as much as possible so he doesn’t feel like he’s not contributing, whether that’s through the meetings or the energy that he brings,” Mendoza said. “We’ll all have to talk to him every day to make sure he doesn’t stress him out too much.”
Alvarez is hitting .236 with one home run this season. Omar Narvaez has featured in three of the four matches he has featured in since Alvarez’s downfall, with Tomas Nido called up as a substitute.
(Photo by Francisco Alvarez: Rich Story/Getty Images)
