Mets' Alvarez, Robert Jr., Polanco and Baty won't play early in spring games

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) — New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez, outfielder Luis Robert Jr. and infielders Jorge Polanco and Brett Baty won’t play early in games this spring, manager Carlos Mendoza said Tuesday.

Mendoza said Baty felt something in his right hamstring a couple of weeks ago, so they’ll bring him along slowly this spring. Baty hit .254 with 18 homers and 50 RBIs in 130 games last season.

Robert will also be brought along slowly as trainers do some strengthening work in hopes he can avoid the type of lower body injuries he’s had in the past. The 28-year-old is in his first season with the Mets after a trade from the Chicago White Sox. Robert hit .223 with 14 homers and 53 RBIs in 110 games for Chicago last year before being shut down in late August with a hamstring strain.

Polanco and Alvarez will both be held out of games early as a precaution. Mendoza said Polanco, who signed with the Mets as a free agent after spending the last two seasons with the Mariners, will get live at-bats and work on the back fields before ramping up to game action. He hit .265 with 26 homers and 76 RBIs last year for the Mariners.

The Mets are taking a cautious approach with Alvarez after he was limited to 76 games last season due to various injuries. He hit .256 with 11 homers and 32 RBIs before undergoing offseason surgery to repair a ligament in his right thumb.

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