Mets' Francisco Alvarez needs thumb surgery; no return timeline

LOS ANGELES -- New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez has a torn ligament in his left thumb and will need surgery, manager Carlos Mendoza said Saturday after a 6-4 win against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Alvarez was placed on the 15-day injured list before the game with a sprained left thumb suffered while running the bases the night before in a 9-4 victory against the Dodgers. An MRI was performed late Friday night.

"Hopefully we get it done the beginning of next week," Mendoza said of Alvarez's surgery. "We don't know the timetable for his recovery, but we're pretty confident we'll get him back this year."

Alvarez, 22, left Friday night's game after jamming his left thumb in the second inning when he put his hand down to try to keep his balance coming around first after a bad throw by catcher Will Smith.

"You hate to see it," Mendoza said. "We don't know how long he's going to be out for, but we know how much energy he brings and the way he was playing. But at the same time, next guy up. It's an opportunity for other guys to step up."

The manager said Alvarez was "frustrated, obviously, and still waiting to see what they find. He'll get through it. He's a strong kid. He's very positive. He will be fine."

Alvarez is batting .236 with one home run and eight RBIs.

In corresponding moves, catcher Tomás Nido's contract was selected from Triple-A Syracuse and left-hander Kolton Ingram was designated for assignment.

Omar Narvaez, who started Saturday's game at catcher, said the injury to Alvarez was "sad because he's an important part of the team. He's a tough kid. But things happen and I'm ready to go."