Jose Alvarado to the injured list, fear grips the city

And here, we thought we were allowed to have nice things.

So far this season, Jose Alvarado has been the closest thing to peak Aroldis Chapman one could find. He’s been excellent in near every appearance he’s been in, save one, and has been a pillar in a bullpen that has been a little underwhelming. Last night, he was not the one warming in the bullpen when a save situation was possible, leading to some speculation that was quickly stamped out when he called it a wrist issue. Today, we get something a little more ominous.

Losing Alvarado over the next fifteen days isn’t a season killer. The team does have some depth there, though it’s depth that makes one a little queasy at times. Getting Bellatti back from the minors will help get an established arm in there, but it also means someone like Gregory Soto is going to have to step in and be a little more consistent than he has been. Seranthony Dominguez was pumping near 100 miles per hour on Tuesday night, but he’s been a little off all year. Craig Kimbrel vacillates between good and bad with relative ease these days, something he’ll have to quell in the next two weeks.

Not having Alvarado also places Rob Thomson on edge a bit. He’s had the luxury of Alvarado being available whenever a fire is brewing, but now that safety blanket will be missing. Mixing and matching last year worked well, so the coaching staff will just need to find the right mixture of pitchers to get the job done. We’ll just have to hope this isn’t the precursor to a more sinister injury.