Mets star Pete Alonso returns well ahead of wrist injury return timeline, team sends Mark Vientos to minors

Mets first baseman Pete Alonso has been activated from the injured list in surprise move by the club Sunday morning. Alonso was placed on the injured list earlier this month and on June 9, the Mets announced that the bone bruise and sprain in Alonso’s left wrist would cost him 3-4 weeks. Instead, he’s back in 10 days andbatting cleanup against the Cardinals on Sunday.

The team sent infielder Mark Winds back to Triple-A in a corresponding move. Vientos, 23, slashed .178/.225/.244 in limited playing time since being promoted in May.

Alonso, 28, is easily the Mets’ most important hitter. He’s hitting .231/.326/.546 (138 OPS+) with four doubles, a triple, 22 homers, 49 RBI and 41 runs. He leads the NL with 22 homers (Shohei Ohtani took the MLB lead on Saturday with his 23rd homer). In this his fifth season, Alonso has already set the Mets franchise record for single-season home runs and led the majors with 131 RBI last season.

Alonso has also been incredibly durable in his career, making this quick activation surprising but not to the level of shocking. He played in 161 games as a rookie, 57 of the 60 games in 2020, 152 in 2021 and 160 last season. Even with the IL stint this season, he’s played in 62 of the Mets’ 70 games entering Sunday.

The Mets can certainly use the boost Alonso is capable of providing. The 33-37 record has them 11 1/2 games out of first in the NL East and five games out of a playoff spot one year removed from a 101-win season. They’ve lost 10 of their last 13 games. What’s more, after a Sunday bout with the also-disappointing Cardinalsthe Mets start a daunting road trip against both of last year’s pennant winners (three games in Houston and three in Philadelphia).

We still haven’t hit the halfway point of the season, but it’s gotten awfully late in Queens. The Mets could stand to get hot anytime here, and the quick return of Alonso increases the chances of that happening.