New York Mets seemingly dodge another injury scare at camp

The New York Mets have already seen a key member of their starting rotation fall to injury at camp, and faced another injury scare Thursday morning.

Oct 20, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso (20) reacts after fouling a ball off of his foot in the eighth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during game six of the NLCS for the 2024 MLB playoffs at Dodger Stadium. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The New York Mets took a body blow to their roster earlier this week with Frankie Montas being shut down with a lat strain. On Thursday, the team narrowly missed a right hook in what could have been an injury to a key member of the lineup.

During infield drills, first baseman Pete Alonso took a tumble at first base and appeared to be in pain. After getting back up, he went inside to be checked out by team doctors before coming back onto the field.

Scary moment at Mets camp this morning as Pete Alonso took a tumble at first base and was down for a moment during infield drills. Looked to be in some pain.

Alonso went inside to get checked out and appears to have shaken it off quickly. He's back on the field now.

— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) February 20, 2025

The injury scare to Alonso adds to an already long spring camp for the Mets. Montas has been shut down for six to eight weeks, with the starting rotation becoming an even weaker unit in his absence than it already was. With that in mind, New York could ill-afford to lose one of their key offensive pieces.

Read more: New York Mets' Frankie Montas gives promising injury update

The Mets and Alonso reunited in free agency earlier this month on a two-year, $54 million deal with an opt-out after year one. Paying Alonso $30 million this year to provide a massive amount of power in the middle of the lineup was the plan, but any injury could see those plans slip right through David Stearns' hands.

For his career, Alonso has batted .249/.339/.514 with 226 home runs, 586 RBI, and a 134 OPS+ across 3,607 plate appearances in 846 games. The 30-year-old slugger is also renowned for his durability; Alonso has never missed more than 10 games in any season of his career and played in all 162 games last year, making him the main constant in the Mets' lineup.

The addition of Juan Soto this offseason could help offset any power outage from first base if Alonso were to be injured. Fortunately, with Alonso back on the field, disaster looks to be averted for now.