PORT STA LUCY – Francisco Alvarez was back at Mets camp Wednesday after surgery to remove a broken Hamate bone in his left hand.
And the catcher said he hopes to swing the bat again in three weeks and return to the lineup in six to eight weeks, but is unhappy about missing out on time due to injuries from his second straight season.
“My goal is to make it [back] It's as fast as possible,” Alvarez said.
A year ago, Alvarez had a ligament torn with the thumb of his left hand on April 19th, and a cleft in his left thumb, part of the disappointing second season.
“It's hard to lose time during the season,” Alvarez said Wednesday at Clover Park Clubhouse. “That's not good. I'm trying to get healthy throughout the offseason, and that's what happened. It's difficult for my mind. It's difficult for me. But I have to keep going.”
Alvarez was injured on the swing and said, “I felt a bit pop.”
“I knew something bad had happened,” Alvarez said.
In Alvarez's absence, Lewis Torrens is expected to fill in, but the Mets can appear to add a backup catcher as the roster is trimmed later in the spring.
But they rely on the power of a 23-year-old who returns to 2023.
“It's with me,” Alvarez said of his comeback from the injury. “If my body takes longer than normal [to recover]It might take eight weeks then. But that's with me. Once you're comfortable, if you feel good, you can move faster. ”
Alvarez was in a recession last year with an OPS of .652 in his first 16 games, even before a thumb injury. He had the rest of the regular season after returning in mid-June.
Alvarez said a thumb injury would not affect his effectiveness last season, but he is waiting to see how he will rebound from now on.
“Maybe yes, maybe no,” Alvarez said. “It's a quick recovery. I don't think I'll lose strength in my hands. I'm very strong.”
Paul Blackburn pitched four perfect innings for the Mets in two strikeouts at a 2-0 exhibition against the Cardinals in Jupiter, Florida.
The right-hander, competing for a rotation spot, preferred to be able to use all of his six pitches after focusing on sinkers and sweepers in his previous appearances he struggled with.
“You can't know what yours was,” Blackburn said. “I need to get people out of balance and get people out of balance and I feel like I'm back on that track today.”
Blackburn, canned griffin And Tyler Megill He is a candidate for two spots in a five-man rotation to start the season.
