Report: The Red Sox are still in on Carl Crawford - MLB

It’s a little quiet tonight, don’t you think? A little too quiet…

Yeah, there isn’t much happening with Carl Crawford right now, but multiple Red Sox sources have confirmed to Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com that the club is still interested in signing the free-agent outfielder, even after the recent acquisition of Adrian Gonzalez.

However, one source wonders how many years it will take to sign him, especially after Jayson Werth turned the market on its head by signing a seven-year, $126 million contract with the Nationals on Sunday. Perhaps that explains the general lack of chatter in regards to Crawford this week?

Meanwhile, Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein was more of the “never-say-never” opinion when asked directly by Edes.

“It’s the same answer I gave yesterday. Obviously we’re in a new situation now after we’ve made a major acquisition, but like I said, anything is possible, right?”

While the Red Sox can’t be ruled out on Crawford, Epstein confirmed that he is exploring alternatives. With that in mind, Edes reports that the club has expressed interest in Josh Willingham of the Nationals and free agent outfielder Matt Diaz, both of whom hit from the right side of the plate. Aaron wrote this morning that the team also has interest in Magglio Ordonez.

PITTSBURGH — The New York Mets will have to dig out of an early-season hole without star first baseman Pete Alonso.

The leading home run hitter in the majors will miss three-to-four weeks with a bone bruise and a sprain in his left wrist.

The Mets placed Alonso on the 10-day injured list Friday, retroactive to June 8. Alonso was hit in the wrist by a 96 mph fastball from Charlie Morton in the first inning of a 7-5 loss to Atlanta on Wednesday.

Alonso traveled to New York for testing on Thursday. X-rays revealed no broken bones, but the Mets will be missing one of the premier power hitters in the game as they try to work their way back into contention in the NL East.

“We got better news than it could have been,” New York manager Buck Showalter said. “So we take that as a positive. It could have been worse.”

New York had lost six straight heading into a three-game series at Pittsburgh that began Friday. Mark Canha started at first for the Mets in the opener. Mark Vientos could also be an option, though Showalter said the coaching staff may have to use its “imagination” in thinking of ways to get by without Alonso.

“I’m not going to say someone has to step up and all that stuff,” Showalter said. “You’ve just got to be who you are.”

Even with Alonso in the lineup, the Mets have struggled to score consistently. New York is 16th in the majors in runs scored.

The team also said Friday that reliever Edwin Uceta had surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee. Uceta initially went on the IL in April with what the team called a sprained left ankle. He is expected to be out for at least an additional eight weeks.

New York recalled infielder Luis Guillorme and left-handed reliever Zach Muckenhirn from Triple-A Syracuse. The Mets sent catcher Tomás Nido to Triple-A and designated reliever Stephen Nogosek for assignment.

Nogosek is 0-1 with a 5.63 ERA in 13 games this season.