NEW YORK — The day after New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez learned he had a torn ligament in his left thumb, on April 20, the 22-year-old hotshot from Venezuela heard from Kansas City Royals star backstop Salvador Perez.
After experiencing the same injury two years ago, the 34-year-old Perez, an eight-time All-Star and also a native of Venezuela, wanted to fill in Alvarez on how to beat the timetable for a return in a careful way.
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During their phone conversation, Perez said he told Alvarez, “I got the same surgery. Don’t worry about it. Relax. The best way to do it is to go get it fixed and the most important thing is: Listen to your trainer and do everything they tell you to do. You’re going to come back faster than you think. If it’s going to take three months, you’re going to come back in two months. Don’t put distractions in your mind, don’t feel bad for that. Anybody can get hurt in this game.”
New York might activate Alvarez on Tuesday. After a rehab game with High-A Brooklyn on Sunday, he told The Athletic, “I’m ready to go play,” but the club hasn’t announced an all-clear. If he is indeed back, his return would be ahead of schedule by approximately one week.
When Alvarez had surgery on April 23, the Mets offered a general timeline for a return to play of eight weeks. He seemed like a candidate to come back sooner, perhaps within six weeks, since he started his rehab assignment on May 30, but the Mets opted against bringing him to London. Regardless, a return appears imminent.
People within the Mets organization have attributed Alvarez’s pace to his strength and desire to play. Alvarez credited the club and training staff. Those words of wisdom from Perez didn’t hurt, either.
In 2022, after a complete tear of his left thumb’s ulnar collateral ligament, Perez — like Alvarez, Perez catches with his left hand — was back on a major-league field within five weeks.
His message of “relax and listen to your trainer” may sound simple, but consider the recipient. One of Alvarez’s best traits, people intimately familiar with his young career often say, is how much he cares. He also plays with ample passion and energy. Coaches say that he wants to go, go and go.
Alvarez likes to work. He badly wants to get back to helping the Mets. Those are good things. But there’s a balance for a catcher attempting a comeback from an injury to a catching hand. There’s a way to do it. There’s a way to overdo it. So getting the memo from someone like Perez, an accomplished player Alvarez has long admired, holds significant weight.
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Mets officials recognized early that a talk with Perez may help Alvarez in some way. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza and Eduardo Brizuela, a vice president and special assistant to president of baseball operations David Stearns, know Perez through the World Baseball Classic and other ties back to Venezuela (Mendoza and Brizuela are also natives). They helped arrange the conversation.
Specifically, Alvarez said Sunday the best practical advice he received from Perez involved distinguishing between levels of pain while catching early on upon returning. Alvarez expects to wear a splint while catching. Alvarez said Perez told him that some pitches land directly on the thumb and to expect a lot of soreness within a few seconds. But the feeling shouldn’t last — just be diligent in regards to monitoring any pain between innings. Alvarez said with a smile, “I am not worried about it.”
Their phone conversation in April wasn’t the first time Perez and Alvarez got acquainted. They worked out together briefly during the offseason in Miami, where they both tried to improve their framing skills. Predictably, Alvarez said he has a lot of respect for Perez, but the veteran gushed over the emerging star, too.
When asked to assess his game from afar, Perez gave Alvarez two thumbs up.
“He’s great,” Perez said. “A lot of energy. He plays with a lot of passion. He plays aggressively. He likes to compete.
“I think he’s going to be one of the best catchers in this game.”
(Photo of Francisco Alvarez at High-A Brooklyn on Sunday: Gordon Donovan / Associated Press)