WASHINGTON — Francisco Alvarez will attempt to postpone surgery on a sprained ulnar collateral ligament in his right thumb, grip a bat while compromised and still be able to make throws while nursing that thumb. That Alvarez wants to try to return to the club in time for the stretch run and perhaps postseason is both admirable and somewhat difficult to envision.
There are not many who know what awaits the Mets catcher. But there are a few.
“It’s doable,” reported Dustin Pedroia, who would know. “The pain — it is what it is. It’s going to suck.”
The best-case scenario for Alvarez became the best-case scenario for Pedroia, who learned to live and play with the pain, ripped off an All-Star and Gold Glove season and then helped the Red Sox win a World Series championship.