The Mets do not want to publicly state that there is hope Pete Alonso could return ahead of schedule.
The first few days since the first baseman was moved to the 10-day injured list with a left wrist bone bruise and sprain, though, have been encouraging.
Alonso was on the field working out, sprinting and taking ground balls hours before the Mets lost, 7-6, to the Yankees at Citi Field on Tuesday night.
“He’s progressing well. He’s starting to do some things,” manager Buck Showalter said before the start of the Subway Series. “[A return is] not imminent obviously. But it’s progressing well.”
When the Mets announced Alonso’s diagnosis Friday, they provided a timetable of approximately three to four weeks for a return, which would mean Alonso would miss the rest of June at the least.
If Alonso is striving for an earlier activation, he did not say so publicly. Coming off the field, Alonso declined comment apart from saying he had to continue his rehab work.
“I’m not going to handicap that [timetable],” Showalter said when asked if Alonso could return ahead of schedule. “I think we’re too far off from that. Got a lot of bridges to cross to say that’s going to happen. Not there yet.“Take this week, see how he feels as we go forward.”
Alonso was drilled by a 97 mph fastball from Atlanta’s Charlie Morton last Wednesday and exited the game in the first inning. He has been sidelined since, with the Mets’ 7-6 Subway Series loss to the Yankees on Tuesday being the team’s fifth in six games without their slugger.
The two-time All-Star had played in each of the Mets’ first 62 games and was an indispensable piece to a team that otherwise lacks power. Despite missing nearly a week’s worth of action, Alonso entered play Tuesday as the majors’ home run leader with 22.
Alonso is not used to missing time. Since debuting in 2019, Alonso had played in 592 of a possible 608 games (including 160 last season) before the wrist injury struck. In his first four seasons, he only had been pushed to the injury list once — and served the minimum 10 days for a right hand sprain in May 2021.
Without Alonso, the Mets were swept in Atlanta and lost a series in Pittsburgh. Their offense surprisingly was not the biggest issue because their pitching — both starters and relievers — threw away several games.
Since Alonso went down, the Mets have received more from Tommy Pham, who stepped up and posted a 1.018 OPS in the final five games of the road trip. Pham, a righty who typically receives his starts against opposing lefties, served as DH in Tuesday’s game against righty Luis Severino.
“I think he’s adjusting to a lot of different things,” Showalter said of Pham, who is regularly platooning for the first time in his career. “He’s in a good place, and we’re going to take advantage of it while he is. Shoot, I hope it goes all season.
“I want to say, ‘Hey, your opportunity is there.’ ”
Mark Canha, typically a left fielder, started at first base Tuesday for a third time in five games without Alonso. Mark Vientos, who came through the Mets’ system as a third baseman, has received a pair of starts at first as the Mets adjust to life without their cleanup hitter and most consistent presence in the lineup.
This injury will prove to be the longest time the Mets are without Alonso since he first made the major league team out of spring training in 2019. The Mets do not want to speculate on an early return, but the early returns have been promising.
“Little by little,” Showalter said after Alonso’s workout. “Hopefully we’ll get there sooner rather than later.”
Jose Quintana began a minor league rehab assignment on Tuesday, starting the countdown until his Mets debut.
The left-hander threw 1 ¹/₃ scoreless innings for Low-A St. Lucie against Palm Beach in which he allowed two hits and one walk over 26 pitches. The plan for Quintana, according to Showalter, is to build up to five innings in the minor leagues before he’s ready to join the Mets.
The team has previously indicated that Quintana, rehabbing from bone-graft surgery on a rib, won’t return before July 1. If Quintana were to appear in three additional rehab games, he would potentially be in position to join the Mets in the first week of July and pitch before the All-Star break.
Quintana arrived during the offseason on a two-year contract worth $24 million, but felt discomfort during his second spring training appearance and was diagnosed with a stress fracture to a rib. Further testing revealed a benign lesion on the rib, prompting the surgery.
Showalter had toyed with the idea of skipping Tylor Megill in the rotation, allowing the Mets to add another reliever or bench player this week, during which there are two off days.
But the manager ultimately decided to keep his rotation in order, putting Megill on schedule to start Friday against the Cardinals.
Kodai Senga is scheduled on Saturday and then would receive extra rest and pitch the following Friday in Philadelphia.
Megill has struggled, pitching to a 5.14 ERA this season.
Ronny Mauricio is considered day-to-day for Triple-A Syracuse after an MRI exam revealed a bone bruise to his left ankle.
Mauricio sustained the injury just over a week ago during a rundown and Mets officials wanted to ensure there wasn’t structural damage.
Mauricio, who has shifted from shortstop to second base, owns a .320/.360/.524 slash line with eight homers and 35 RBIs this season for Syracuse.
Stephen Nogosek cleared waivers and has been outrighted to Syracuse. … The Mets released Tommy Hunter, three days after he was designated for assignment.
The Mets honored R.A. Dickey on the 11th anniversary of the former knuckleballer’s first of consecutive one-hit shutouts during his Cy Young award-winning 2012 season.
Dickey threw his consecutive one-hitters against the Rays and Orioles
St. John’s men’s basketball coach Rick Pitino threw out the ceremonial first pitch.
Donovan Mitchell Jr., who played for Pitino at Louisville and now stars for the Cleveland Cavaliers, caught the pitch.
Mitchell’s father, Donovan Mitchell Sr., works in the Mets’ front office.