Francisco Alvarez’s recovery surprise a welcome sign to Mets

It’s not necessarily over for Francisco Alvarez.

In a sign he is serious about trying to play through the right thumb injury that placed him on the injured list last week — Alvarez will eventually need surgery — the Mets catcher took batting practice Monday before his team faced the Phillies at Citi Field.

Maybe the only reason Alvarez’s workout didn’t surprise Carlos Mendoza was because of a video the manager had received a day earlier while the Mets were in Atlanta.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Mendoza said. “When I was looking at it, I was like, ‘There is no way this guy is swinging the bat already.’ ”