Alonso, Marte day-to-day as Amazin’s avoid injury disaster
SAN DIEGO — The Mets received about the best possible prognosis for which they could have hoped Wednesday, regarding two hurting members of their lineup.
Pete Alonso and Starling Marte are both considered day-to-day after leaving the Mets’ loss Tuesday night against the Padres.
Alonso was hit in the right hand by a Yu Darvish fastball, and Marte departed with left quadriceps discomfort an inning after he was caught attempting to steal second base. Initial X-rays on Alonso’s hand were negative, and further imaging revealed no breaks or fractures to the hand. Marte was less specific about his quad but said it was feeling better, and his expectation is he will avoid the injured list.
“It was as positive news today as we could have hoped to get,” manager Buck Showalter said before the Mets’ 13-2 loss to the Padres in the series finale.
Alonso said there is swelling in his hand, comparing it to an injury he incurred last May and played through, to diminished results. Alonso wouldn’t rule out an IL stint for this one, saying the next day or two should provide more clarity to the situation.
Neither Alonso nor Marte was in the starting lineup Wednesday.
“We are just going to rehab and treat this thing and see how quickly it responds,” Alonso said. “We are not necessarily going to put a timeline on it, but no breaks and no fractures, which is huge. A scary moment, but we’re glad that everything is structured OK, and we’re just going to treat this thing until it’s back.”
Alonso had played 151 straight games dating to last season and had a goal of playing them all this year, but will now amend that target.
“I still feel like I will play more than 162 games because we have got the playoffs coming up, if we earn that right” Alonso said. “I want to be prepared for the long haul and play all the way through October so the math will probably add up to be more than 162 [games].”
Alonso has entered the early National League MVP conversation by delivering thunder. He entered Wednesday leading MLB with 54 RBIs, and his 16 homers were tied with Mookie Betts for the NL lead.
J.D. Davis has begun playing first base in recent days, giving the Mets a solid bat at the position until Alonso returns. Davis started at first base Monday — his first action there since 2018 with the Astros — and replaced Alonso a night later after he was forced to leave the game.
Alonso indicated he got hit in “the meat” of the hand, on the fifth metacarpal.
“It’s a part of the game, especially when guys are throwing hard and go up and in,” Alonso said. “It’s part of it. I know how to treat it, and obviously we have an excellent training staff. They have history because I have had contusion on my right hand in the past.”
Marte’s game depends heavily on his legs, so it only stands that the Mets would play it cautiously with this quadriceps injury. The veteran outfielder owns a .277/ .316/.441 slash line with seven homers, 33 RBIs and eight stolen bases.
“Thank God I feel good,” Marte said. “It could have been worse, obviously, but right now it’s day-to-day. We have been working pretty much all morning to get it right, and we are going to keep working it and I will be back out there soon.”