LOS ANGELES — Francisco Alvarez departed Friday’s game with obvious discomfort in his left thumb, leaving the Mets to fear they will be without their second-year catcher for an extended stretch.
“I’m pretty concerned, I’m not going to lie,” manager Carlos Mendoza said after the Mets’ 9-4 victory over the Dodgers. “He was in pain. I am worried about that.”
Alvarez was to receive an MRI exam after jamming the thumb in the second inning.
Alvarez was rounding first base and stumbled, pressing his thumb into the ground in an attempt to stay on his feet.
He reached second base, diving in headfirst.
When the Mets took the field in the bottom of the inning, Omar Narvaez was the new catcher.
The trouble began with Alvarez hitting a squib that Dodgers catcher Will Smith threw away for an error.
Alvarez stumbled as he rounded first and jammed the thumb.
“That is a young kid who works extremely hard and whenever you see him come out, it takes a lot to get him out of the game,” Francisco Lindor said. “I know he was in extreme pain as soon as he came out of the game. I felt bad for him.
“I will be praying for him and everyone in this clubhouse will be doing the same thing, but for us to have a successful year you have to have the next-man-up mentality.”
If Alvarez needs an injured list stint, the team could look toward veteran Tomas Nido at Triple-A Syracuse. Nido first would have to be added to the 40-man roster.