Alvarez feels no pain in injured thumb, expects to make impact down stretch

NEW YORK – Less than 10 days after spraining the ulnar collateral ligament in his right thumb – which will require postseason surgery – catcher Francisco Alvarez said he feels no pain swinging a bat, and he has “all the confidence in the world” that he can contribute to the Mets this season.

Alvarez is scheduled to begin a Minor League rehab assignment Wednesday with Triple-A Syracuse.

“I thought initially when I got injured that there would be more pain or there would be a level of discomfort,” Alvarez said through an interpreter. “But there’s been none of that.”

Alvarez was in chipper spirits during batting practice at Citi Field before Tuesday night’s game against the Phillies, joking with teammates and parking at least one ball over the right-center-field fence. He wore a soft splint under his batting glove, and he has been taking defensive reps with it on his throwing hand.

While the Mets won’t know for sure how effective Alvarez can be until he begins facing live competition, his pain-free BP sessions have encouraged team officials.

“I couldn’t believe it [Sunday] – somebody sent me a video of him hitting back here at Citi Field,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “When I was looking at it, I was like, ‘There’s no way this guy is swinging the bat.’”

This is strictly a pain tolerance issue for Alvarez, who sprained his thumb sliding into second base on Aug. 17. Going forward, Alvarez said he might wear a protective mitt while running the bases or even try sliding feet first – at least to the extent that he can combat his natural instincts.

“I knew initially that it was a serious injury,” Alvarez said. “It was one of those injuries that the moment that you hit, you feel it right away. Then I realized that there was something wrong, the feeling in my hand at that moment.”

Until he undergoes surgery, Alvarez can continue to play, knowing the worst possible outcome would be him tearing the ligament completely and undergoing surgery sooner than expected. Either way, Alvarez should be ready for the start of Spring Training.

The Mets are certainly motivated to let him try to play this year, considering he was slashing .323/.408/.645 in 21 games since returning from a brief demotion to the Minors. In Alvarez’s absence, Luis Torrens and Hayden Senger have split time at catcher. Neither is the same type of offensive force as Alvarez.

“Realistically, yeah, I do believe that I’ll be capable of returning like the same player,” Alvarez said. “If there is an instance where there is pain or some discomfort, I will tell the coaches and staff about it, and I won’t play. But I do have a great expectation to be able to have the same type of success.”

Given that the injury is not to Alvarez’s glove hand, the plan is for him to serve as a catcher, not a designated hitter, once he returns. But if throwing causes him pain in a way that hitting does not, the team might consider using Alvarez as a DH – something that could cut into the playing time of hot hitters Starling Marte and Mark Vientos.

“That’s a tough one,” Mendoza said. “But if he’s swinging the bat the way he was swinging it before he went down, you’ve got to find a way to get him in there as much as you can.”