WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — The Mets and Francisco Alvarez got another injury scare Sunday night.
The catcher was removed prior to the eighth inning after injuring his right thumb on a headfirst slide in the bottom of the seventh of a 7-3 win over Seattle in the Little League Classic.
Alvarez was checked out by trainers and initially remained in the game before he was replaced by Luis Torrens to start the eighth.
Manager Carlos Mendoza said that he’ll travel back to New York City for an MRI on the thumb Monday.
Alvarez’s solid play since his recall from Triple-A Syracuse continued Sunday with a pair of doubles, but he’s had issues with his hands already in his career.
Earlier this year, he suffered a left hamate fracture, and when he struggled on both sides of the plate when he recovered from that injury, he was sent down to the minors.
Alvarez also underwent surgery on his left thumb last season.
He’d impressed the Mets with both his production and work ethic after the demotion, and his play remained improved after his return to the majors.
Alvarez entered Sunday on a 6-for-16 tear, with four extra-base hits, including three homers.
Then he doubled and scored in the second, singled and scored in the fifth and doubled again in the seventh.
Nolan McLean’s past few days began with him at Triple-A Syracuse before being called up to make his MLB debut with the Mets on Saturday at Citi Field, then traveling with the team to the Little League Classic in his second day as a major leaguer.
“It was a crazy turn of events for me,” McLean said prior to the Mets facing the Mariners on Sunday night. “From being in Rochester [with Syracuse] to Citi Field to now Williamsport, I kind of can’t believe it.”
McLean delivered a much-needed boost to the underperforming Mets rotation with 5 ¹/₃ scoreless innings in Saturday’s win in Queens.
“Once I got out of the game and then when it was over, the Gatorade bath caught me off guard,” McLean said. “Hearing the crowd was surreal for me. It was the biggest crowd I’ve ever played in front of, so that was special.”
The 24-year-old allowed just two hits and four walks and struck out eight against the Mariners.
He began the year with Double-A Binghamton before moving to Syracuse after five impressive outings, then put up a 2.78 ERA in 16 games (13 starts) at Triple-A before getting called up.
Saturday’s debut by McLean was highly anticipated, mostly due to how poorly much of the rest of the rotation has pitched lately, while McLean and Brandon Sproat — and more recently Jonah Tong at Triple-A — have impressed in the minors.
Tylor Megill took an encouraging step to a return to the rotation in a rehab start Sunday with Double-A Binghamton, as the right-hander whiffed nine in 3 ¹/₃ innings.
He threw 55 pitches as he works his way back from an elbow strain that has sidelined him since mid-June.
Ryan Helsley, who’d been scored upon in his previous four appearances (seven runs, five earned, in 2 ¹/₃ innings), tossed a scoreless eighth inning. … The start of Sunday’s game was delayed by rain. … Luisangel Acuña served as the 27th man for the Mets.
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