NEW YORK -- New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez is slated to undergo surgery to repair the sprained ulnar collateral ligament in his right thumb "in the coming days," president of baseball operations David Stearns said Monday.
Alvarez sustained the injury in mid-August and decided to play through the pain and push the procedure to the offseason.
Adding to the challenge, Alvarez fractured the pinkie finger in his left hand when he was hit by a pitch during a rehab game with Triple-A Syracuse on Aug. 27. The setback briefly postponed Alvarez's return before he rejoined the Mets on Sept. 5.
The 23-year-old Alvarez batted .230 with four home runs and a .784 OPS in 20 games while dealing with the two hand injuries down the stretch.
The former top prospect finished the season, which included getting sent down to Triple-A in June for a month due to poor performance, with a .256/.339/.447 slash line and 11 home runs in 76 games.
The Mets' season ended Sunday with a 4-0 loss to the Miami Marlins that cost them the opportunity to reach the postseason as the National League's third wild card team.
