Pete Alonso started off the season hot for the New York Mets, fighting with MLB's great sluggers to lead the home-run leaderboard. Although he is still tied for sixth, he is in the midst of a brutal slump that seemingly started after getting hit by a pitch.

In a 7-5 loss to the Atlanta Braves on June 18, Charlie Morton unintentionally beaned Alonso on the left wrist, placing him on the IL. He returned to the field 11 days later and has been brutal, posting a .549 OPS across 25 games. His slugging percentage in the 62 prior games this season was .546 and he had 22 home runs by that point. Since the injury, he has hit just four.

Both Alonso and Mets hitting coach Jeremy Barnes believe that the first baseman is not still injured, according to Tim Britton of The Athletic.

“No, it’s just bad play,” the Mets star said, via The Athletic. “There’s no injury reason. It’s just that I haven’t been playing well.”

Alonso, one of the Mets' two All-Stars along with pitcher Kodai Senga, has been one of the few Mets players to be truly productive during their miserable 2023 campaign. His hitting power has been key to the offense. He has bumped his home-run percentage north of seven percent for the first time since his rookie season but his brutal slump may soon bring it back down. Alonso anticipates slumps at points during the season, but not ones that are this bad.

“Every year, I go through a really bad streak, but at the end of the year, I know the numbers are going to be where they are,” Alonso said, via The Athletic. “But when it’s bad, it’s bad…Nothing’s as easy as a snap. It’s just compounding good at-bats and trying to see the ball the best I can and eventually I’ll be out of it,” Alonso said. “It hasn’t stopped me from working, it hasn’t stopped me from trying to be the best I can every day. It’s just bad performance, offensively.”

Pete Alonso returning to form is one of the few things that can keep this Mets season from being a total disasterclass. The playoffs are within reach but New York must start making up ground soon.