Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez plunked again but appears to have dodged injury

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NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Mets are hopeful Francisco Alvarez, already playing with a broken pinkie on his left hand and a torn UCL in his right thumb, dodged another injury Tuesday night when the catcher was hit by a pitch on his upper left arm.

Alvarez appeared to be in serious pain after getting drilled by a 100 mph fastball from San Diego Padres rookie right-hander Bradgley Rodríguez in the eighth inning of the Mets’ 8-3 victory. The 23-year-old bent down behind home plate and clutched his left arm as he slowly walked up the first base line with manager Carlos Mendoza and an athletic trainer.

Alvarez was lifted for pinch-runner Hayden Senger but appeared on the Mets’ bench minutes later, smiling and sporting a large wrap around his left arm. He later joined the handshake line following New York's victory.

Mendoza said Alvarez was sore but wasn’t expected to undergo imaging.

“Looked like it didn’t hit him in the elbow, it was more like the triceps muscle area,” Mendoza said. “We’ll see how he feels tomorrow, but as of right now, we’re not planning on doing any X-rays or anything like that.”

It marked the third time in three weeks Alvarez was hit on the left arm or hand. His rehab from the right thumb injury was paused Aug. 27 after his pinkie was broken when he was hit by pitch while batting for Triple-A Syracuse.

Alvarez also was nailed by a pitch from Cole Winn of the Texas Rangers on Saturday.

New York began the night 1 1/2 games ahead of Arizona for the final National League wild card.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb