What is Pete Alonso's status one night after being hit in the hand by a pitch?

NEW YORK — Pete Alonso was not in the Mets' starting lineup for Thursday's series opener with the Diamondbacks but said he feels "really lucky" after being hit in the third knuckle on his left hand one day earlier.

X-rays, a bone scan and MRI all came back clean on the Mets first baseman's throwing hand, and he is considered day-to-day.

"It’s just swelling," Alonso said. "It doesn’t necessarily hurt too badly. I feel very fortunate for what I’m managing right now as opposed to the worst-case scenario. I just want to continue to work, get the swelling down and just continue regular activity. It shouldn’t be too long."

Mark Vientos was penciled in at first base for the Mets in Alonso's absence.

Alonso said everything "felt normal" as he went through fielding and throwing drills before Thursday's game but he needed to test his hand while swinging a bat before determining his availability.

"Yeah, I pretty much have the blessing, just do your normal routine," Alonso said. "Obviously, I just want to take care of everything as much as possible. Don’t want to aggravate it too, too much, but right now everything that I’ve done so far feels normal. I expect the same when I go about my cage work.

"Everything feels great. Again, I can’t stress enough. I feel very fortunate. I feel very lucky."

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Alonso was removed in the bottom of the first inning of the Mets' series finale with the Dodgers after a 93.2 mph fastball from James Paxton connected with the first baseman's lead hand on a check swing. The injury was a worrying sign for the Mets, who had placed closer Edwin Diaz on the 15-day injured list before the game with a right shoulder impingement.

Alonso's only stint on the injured list over the course of his career have come with injuries to his hands. In 2021, he landed on the shelf after spraining his right wrist after being hit in the hand. Last season, he missed eight games after suffering a bone bruise and sprained left wrist after being hit by a 97 mph fastball from the Braves' Charlie Morton.

This time around, Alonso is optimistic that he will not be down for long.

"Every time it happens, it’s really different because there’s a bunch of small bones, tissue, ligaments and nerves and stuff," Alonso said. "Every one, even though it’s the same incidents happening, every single time is different. It’s case-by-case. As it happens, it all hurts and you really don’t know until what the imaging tells you. For me, I feel very fortunate."

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Pete Alonso injury update: Scans clean, still out of NY Mets lineup