Alonso's right hand healing, has splint removed

SAN DIEGO -- First baseman Yonder Alonso, on the disabled list since June 1 with a right hand contusion, hopes to get clearance Monday to take part in baseball activities after visiting a hand specialist.

Alonso suffered a fracture of the metacarpal -- the bone above the knuckle -- on his middle finger when he was hit by a pitch on May 31.

He had been wearing a splint to immobilize the hand ever since landing on the disabled list, though he recently was able to take it off.

"I really want to burn it," Alonso joked.

Who can blame him? Alonso missed his 14th consecutive game with the injury Thursday, as the Padres opened a four-game series against the Dodgers at Petco Park.

Alonso is encouraged the hand is healing.

"[Training staff] took it off today and they started touching it around where it was hurting. [Before] it was probably an eight or nine [out of 10 on the pain scale]. But it's probably down to a three or four. It's made a significant amount of progress in the last week, week and a half."

Alonso is hoping a CT scan Monday could pave the way for him to resume his on-field baseball work. That said, it's not like he's been sitting around gathering dust.

"The good thing is I can run and have been able to do my top-hand stuff hitting. I've been doing a lot of baseball stuff. The hitting will be the easiest thing to come. I've been staying on top of it, watching a lot of film.

"But I've become more a student of the game. I watch a lot of film. I watch all the games, to get ready for when I do come back. I feel like I'm the third hitting coach, because I watch all the at-bats."

At the time of his injury, Alonso was hitting .284 with six home runs and 29 RBIs in 54 games this season. The Padres have mostly used Kyle Blanks at first base in his absence.