With the Mets starting a three-game series with the San Diego Padres on Friday night, manager Carlos Mendoza gave updates on some of his injured players.
No Jorge Polanco in San Diego
When New York began this six-game West Coast road trip on Monday, the thought was that Polanco would be ready to re-join the team when it arrived in San Diego to play the Padres. However, that day has arrived and Polanco remains on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Syracuse.
“He’s playing right now. He’s DHing in Syracuse,” Mendoza said. “We just felt like he needed to get volume there. Last game he only played four-to-five innings of defense. We gotta get him to a point where [he gets] four at-bats as a DH or seven innings of defense, at least. So we won’t see him here in San Diego.”
While Polanco still needs more time, Mendoza is encouraged with how he has progressed during his rehab.
“The way he’s taking his swings, the way he’s rotating, he looks more healthy,” the skipper said. “When you look at the way he’s rotating and standing on that back leg, which was something that we didn’t see before he went on the IL. When we were playing the Dodgers [in late April] you could see it was affecting him. But right now he looks in a better place with the way he’s taking his swings.”
Polanco is currently 0-for-2 with a walk as Syracuse has been no-hit through seven innings.
Goal for Francisco Alvarez
Along with Polanco, Alvarez is also in Friday’s starting lineup with Triple-A, his third rehab appearance since recovering from a meniscus tear in his right knee on May 13.
Originally scheduled to be out for six-to-eight weeks, Alvarez is blowing past that number and is already in contention to return from the IL when the Mets return home on Tuesday for a six-game homestand.
“Alvy’s catching right now,” Mendoza said. “The goal is for him to get I think seven [innings] today. He’s gonna go back-to-back [tomorrow]. So the goal, if everything goes well there, is to have him on the next homestand.”
The skipper didn’t specify exactly when during New York’s homestand, but it stands to reason Alvarez could be back for the series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals which would put his recovery timeline at less than a month.
Alvarez went 0-for-3 with a strikeout before getting pulled for Kevin Parada.
Odds and ends
Ronny Mauricio (fractured thumb) has started running, but has yet to begin hitting.
Tyrone Taylor (right hip) started running yesterday.
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