José Alvarado was all smiles Saturday when he met with the media. He had just completed a bullpen session, and will be activated from the restricted list prior to Sunday evening’s Philadelphia Phillies game against the Atlanta Braves.
The left-hander was placed on the restricted list rather suddenly less than an hour before Monday’s series opener against the Houston Astros. He asked for some privacy in regards to why he was away from the team.
“It’s a personal situation with my family, that’s it,” Alvarado said respectfully. “I can’t tell anything about what’s going on, what happened. That’s really, really personal. That’s all I have for you guys.”
Alvarado did confirm that he had to return to his native Venezuela.
“Yeah, I go to Venezuela,” Alvarado said. “I make it. I’m still alive. I’m so happy to be here with my teammates.”
So does Alvarado feel like whatever he left to attend is now resolved?
“Yes, I’m here,” Alvarado said with a smile. “I’m here with my teammates.”
Fair enough.
Where Alvarado did open up was when he talked about how much support he’s received from both his teammates and fans.
“A lot,” Alvarado said of the well wishes he’s gotten. “I say thank you for the team supporting me, going through it with me. Like I said before, I don’t have too much to say. Thank you to the team, thank you to the city.
“I received a lot of messages from a lot of people … fans saying ‘Hopefully everything is good. I’ll pray with you and your family.’ And now I’m here, and that’s it.”
