Pete Alonso back in Mets' lineup after being activated from IL earlier than expected
Pete Alonso of the Mets bats during the first inning against the Cardinals at Citi Field on Sunday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
The Mets initially feared they would lose slugger Pete Alonso for three to four weeks because of a bone bruise and sprain in his left wrist.
Instead, he was activated off the 10-day injured list on Sunday at the earliest date possible and was in the lineup in the cleanup spot and playing first base against the Cardinals at Citi Field in an 8-7 Mets loss.
Asked before the game if he would have any limitations, Alonso said, “No, I’m playing. Full go. Yeah, full go.”
He went, but it was 0-for-4 with three strikeouts and a fielding error at first base.
Alonso told Newsday after the game he came out of it fine physically.
He was hurt against Atlanta on June 7 when he was hit by a 97-mph fastball by Charlie Morton. Various tests followed, and while they ruled out a broken bone, they did reveal damage.
Manager Buck Showalter said the team had a sense a few days earlier that Alonso would be back soon.
The Mets opened a spot for him by optioning infielder Mark Vientos to Triple-A Syracuse.
“We just felt like Mark needed to get some at-bats that might not be there at this time [with the Mets],” Showalter said. He added that Vientos would play first and third base with Syracuse.
Vientos has played in 16 games with the Mets this season with 45 at-bats and has one home run, five RBIs and a .178 batting average.
The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani hit his 23rd home run on Saturday, moving one ahead of Alonso for the major-league lead.
“Honestly, my body responded well to the treatment and the rehab, so I’m just really happy it responded well and I’m able to be in the lineup again,” Alonso said before Sunday’s game.
At what point did he think he could come back sooner than expected?
“I’d probably say right around the fifth or sixth day, when I was able to do everything freely and without any pain,” he said. “Then I just had to wait for my time to expire on the DL, and now I’m in the lineup again, so I’m excited.”
Asked what he had to overcome to be ready, he said, “Honestly, just feeling comfortable with my body, and I’m just happy it responded well to the treatment and I feel excellent. I’m a 100% everything. If I’m at 100%, why wait?”
Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.
