New York Mets Star Takes Surprising Step in Injury Rehab and Recovery

At this rate, the New York Mets just might get back Pete Alonso sooner rather than later.

New York Mets star Pete Alonso took a major step forward in his rehab from a wrist injury on Friday. 

The following update comes from the Rotowire fantasy baseball portal:

Mets manager Buck Showalter said Friday that Alonso (wrist) has been hitting in the batting cage and he expects the first baseman back "before long," Laura Albanese of Newsday reports.

ANALYSIS
Showalter didn't offer an updated timeline for Alonso's return, but the fact that the slugger is already hitting would seem to give him a shot to beat the initial 3-4 week estimate for his recovery. It's been only nine days since Alonso was diagnosed with a bone bruise and sprain in his left wrist as a result of being plunked by Atlanta's Charlie Morton.

This is certainly a best-case scenario for Alonso and the team, as he is the most valuable player on a generally lethargic Mets offense. It's also a deviation from expectation because when he was hurt, there was fear of a fracture that would have kept him out several weeks.

Alonso is a likely All-Star this season and getting back sooner would allow him to play in the game as well, which is not as important to the Mets, but is good for baseball in general.

Even despite his absence, he's tied for the major league lead in home runs with 22 (t-Shohei Ohtani). His 49 RBIs are still seventh in all of baseball behind Rafael Devers, Yordan Alvarez, Adolis Garcia, Ohtani, Marcus Semien and Josh Naylor.

A two-time All-Star already, Alonso is a lifetime .258 hitter. He won the Rookie of the Year award in the National League in 2019 and was a second-round pick out of the University of Florida.

The Mets are currently 33-36 and will host the Cardinals on Saturday at 4:10 p.m. ET.

Follow Fastball on FanNation in social media

Continue to follow our Fastball on FanNation coverage on social media by LIKING us on Facebook and by following us on Twitter @FastballFN.

You can also subscribe to "The Payoff Pitch" podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.