Mets’ Tommy Pham ‘felt great’ despite leaving with groin tightness against Padres

SAN DIEGO — Tommy Pham felt tightness in his right groin while pursuing Ha-Seong Kim’s single in Sunday’s first inning and knew the smart move was to exit the game.

The Mets outfielder will have a better understanding of the issue Monday, when he is scheduled to undergo imaging on the groin in New York.

Pham said he dealt with a similar issue in 2018 with the Cardinals, but avoided an extended absence from the lineup, missing only a few games.

Pham, who was replaced in left field by Mark Canha on Sunday, said there was no trace of discomfort in the groin beforehand.

“I felt great,” he said after the Mets lost 6-2 to the Padres at Petco Park. “I get asked every day how my hydration is, to kind of prevent soft tissue injuries and I was probably the most hydrated I have been all season today, so hydration really doesn’t work for me. ”

Though Pham has slumped in July with a .698 OPS, he has been among the Mets’ top offensive performers over the past six weeks and a player the team can ill afford to lose for an extended stretch.

Tommy Pham walks off the field with a trainer in the first inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres.

“Not a lot of luck [on the road trip], no barrels,” Pham said, referring to his recent performance. “That’s not a good combination, no barrels and no luck. A lot of lineouts. I would like the barrels to come back, because that is a great feeling.”

Pham was asked to assess where the Mets are at the All-Star break.

“Not good,” he said. “We started off this road trip really strong. If you were to say ‘Would you be happy going 4-2 against these two teams?’ I am pretty sure everybody would say ‘Yes.’ We ran into a stretch of tough pitching.”

Francisco Alvarez’s torrid play has kept Omar Narvaez on the bench without a start since June 30.

Buck Showalter indicated he considered Sunday using Alvarez as the DH to get Narvaez a start, but ultimately felt stronger about getting at-bats for D.J. Stewart.

“I have talked to Omar a lot and he’s been good — he knows that Alvy is performing at a high level and should be catching, but he’s got a lot of personal and professional pride, too,” Showalter said. “This guy is a good player and there will come a time here when we will be glad we have got him.”