Mets in London: Sightseeing, with an assist from J.D. Martinez
The Mets' Pete Alonso, center, poses for a picture with former West Ham soccer players Anton Ferdinand, left, and James Collins, right, during a workout day at London Stadium on Friday, June 7, 2024. Credit: AP/Kirsty Wigglesworth
LONDON — For the members of the Mets who had never been to England — most of them, in an unofficial poll — this week marks a major new experience.
Fortunately, they had a veteran to show them around: J.D. Martinez, who in addition to giving hitting tips also offered tourist tips on Friday morning, according to newbie Pete Alonso.
“J.D. was our tour guide this morning,” Alonso said. “He showed us the Changing of the Guard [at Buckingham Palace], which was a really cool experience. That was pretty epic. J.D. navigated the streets like a local.”
Martinez, who had visited once previously, laughed off that description, but the point remains that the Mets are having a good time, squeezing in some sightseeing before switching back to baseball work mode.
The main event was a group dinner — players, staff, front office, ownership, family members — at Cutty Sark, an old ship that is now a museum. There also have been double-decker bus tours, stops at the Churchill War Rooms and a ride down the River Thames in an Uber boat.
That fun gave way to something closer to a regular routine on Friday afternoon as the Mets had a workout/media day at London Stadium, where they will play the Phillies on Saturday and Sunday.
But even that came with caveats: Former Mets Mike Piazza, David Wright and Daniel Murphy, among others, making promotional appearances; Alonso and Nimmo chatting with retired soccer players Anton Ferdinand and James Collins; elated fans allowed in the pseudo-ballpark for the workout.
More than usual, the Mets are balancing work and play.
“That was the messaging since the beginning,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “We’re going to play in a different country, but we’re playing a really good team and the games count. Back to business. Today we’ll do our prep work, our meetings and things like that. We’ll have a workout and be ready to go tomorrow. These games count, so we have to treat it as [such].”
Alvarez delayed
Francisco Alvarez went home to Venezuela to tend to a family matter, Mendoza said, so his return from a left thumb injury will be slightly delayed. He had been penciled in for about Tuesday.
Jett Williams has wrist surgery
Jett Williams, the Mets’ top prospect, will miss another two months after having surgery on his right wrist, the team announced Friday.
The wrist issue had bothered him since the end of spring training and kept him out of all but 11 games this season. Since going on the injured list in late April, Williams had received two cortisone injections to try to alleviate the pain. When those didn’t work, the Mets had to take a more severe course of action.
The club called it a TFCC debridement procedure. A debridement is the removal of damaged tissue. TFCC stands for the triangular fibrocartilage complex, which is “a hammock-like structure made up of cartilage and ligaments,” according to the Mets-affiliated Hospital for Special Surgery.
“The TFCC stabilizes the bones in the wrist, acts as a shock absorber and enables smooth movements,” HSS wrote on its website. “However, the cartilage and ligaments of the complex are prone to degeneration and wear-and-tear injuries. This can lead to pain, weakness and instability.”
The Mets said in a statement that a player usually needs eight to 10 weeks to return from this surgery. For Williams, 20, that means being out until August, the injury causing him to miss almost the entire season.
Extra bases
Edwin Diaz (right shoulder impingement) will pitch for High-A Brooklyn again on Sunday . . . Brett Baty’s take on if anything in London surprised him: “I don’t want to be mean to New York City, but I feel like London might be a little bit cleaner.” . . . Mendoza said he does not follow cricket . . . When Alonso’s banter with a British reporter turned to food talk, the hard-hitting questions came: Would the Mets’ first baseman try mushy peas? He hesitated and said: “Yeah, if that’s a thing, sure.”
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
