The New York Mets placed starting catcher Francisco Alvarez on the 15-day injured list with a left thumb sprain Saturday.
Alvarez, 22, appeared to sustain the injury in the second inning of the Mets’ 9-4 victory against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday. While running the bases, he stumbled while going around first, then planted his left hand on the ground to stabilize himself before continuing to second base.
The team scheduled an MRI.
Manager Carlos Mendoza knew after the game that he had lost his starting catcher even before the diagnosis.
“I’m pretty concerned, I’m not going to lie,” Mendoza said. “He was in pain. I am worried about that.”
In a corresponding move, the Mets selected catcher Tomas Nido from Triple-A Syracuse and designated left-hander Kolton Ingram for assignment.
In 16 games this season, Alvarez is batting .236 with a home run and eight RBIs. He assumed the starter role as a rookie last season, batting .209 with 25 homers and 63 RBIs in 123 games.
Nido, 30, is hitting .345 with a home run and two RBIs in nine games at Syracuse. He has spent parts of the past seven seasons with the Mets and has a career average of .213 in 274 games.
Ingram, a 27-year-old reliever, was 1-0 with a 7.20 in five innings stretched over four games at Syracuse.