The Mets continue to be used as target practice for major-league pitching this season, and Tuesday night in San Diego brought about one of its most concerning moments yet after Pete Alonso was hit in the hand by Padres starter Yu Darvish.
Check-swinging on a fastball running in during the second inning, Alonso was struck on the top of the right hand and immediately went down in pain before being attended to by trainers. He left the game shortly after.
Following initial x-rays on Tuesday night and follow-up tests on Wednesday, Alonso avoided a worst-case scenario of any broken bones or fractures — meaning he’ll be day-to-day.
“Getting hit with a 95 mph fastball, it hurts, especially in the hand where there’s a lot of tiny little muscles and bones,” Alonso said Wednesday night. “You don’t really know what could happen. I’ve had three broken hands before. This is the same injury I had last year when I was hit by a pitch.
“I decided to play and I didn’t really do a whole lot of good for my team because I was a shell of myself for three weeks… We’re just going to nip this thing in the bud now and get it recovered and get the swelling out. Then we should be good to go.”
He was expected to undergo further testing on Wednesday to decipher the extent of the injury and whether or not he’ll miss any time, and it appears he avoided an extended absence, too, telling reporters that he expects to avoid the IL.
Alonso was one of three Mets batters to be hit by Darvish in the first two innings, bringing the team’s total to an MLB-leading 40 on the season.
Any sort of potential absence could throw off the 27-year-old’s MVP momentum after one of the best offensive starts to a season in team history.
Having played in each of the Mets’ first 58 games of the season, Alonso sat atop the NL leaderboard with 16 home runs and 54 RBI.
“I don’t think ‘bind’ is a word I’d use,” Showalter said. “It may appear that way, but I look at it as a time for somebody else to shine like we have all year. Our front office has been ahead of the game keeping us equipped, and we’ll continue to do that.”
While they awaited results on both players, the Mets recalled and activated outfielder prospect Khalil Lee from Triple-A Syracuse.
