Francisco Alvarez Injury: Approaching rehab assignment

Alvarez (thumb) is expected to begin a minor-league rehab assignment Wednesday or Thursday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

At the time Alvarez was placed on the 10-day injured list Aug. 19 due to a UCL sprain in his right thumb, he appeared to be at risk of missing the rest of the regular season, but the 23-year-old has seemingly been able to manage the discomfort in his hand better than anticipated just over a week after sustaining the injury. He's been able to take batting practice over the last few days and doesn't appear to have suffered any setbacks in his hitting progression, putting him on track to report to an affiliate around the middle of the week. Alvarez could remain on assignment through the weekend but may be ready for activation when the Mets' active roster expands to 28 men Sept. 1. He's still expected to require surgery at some point during the offseason to address the thumb injury, but with a projected recovery timeline of eight weeks, Alvarez should be back to full health ahead of spring training.