Mets Minors Recap: Alvarez Nearing Return to Majors

Francisco Alvarez went 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored Sunday in Triple-A Syracuse’s 4-3 victory over Scranton. He also picked off a runner at first and allowed a passed ball. Carlos Mendoza said he could return to the big-league team during the six-game homestand that starts Tuesday. Alvarez has gone 3-for-13 with a double, four strikeouts and one walk in four games at Syracuse. He left a game on May 12 after feeling pain in his right knee after a swing and underwent surgery to repair a meniscus tear two days later.

Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Triple-A

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (31-31) 3, Syracuse Mets (33-30) 4

Box Score

LF Nick Morabito, 0-for-3, BB, 2 K (.736 OPS)
2B Ji Hwan Bae, 2-for-3, 2B, 2 R, BB (.782 OPS)
LF Ryan Clifford, 0-for-3, RBI, 3 K (.766 OPS)
C Francisco Alvarez, 1-for-3, R, BB (.671 OPS)
PH-RF Matt Rudick, 2-for-3, HR (1), 3 RBI, R (.775 OPS)

Clifford leads the International League in strikeouts with 90 (in 221 at-bats). He also leads Syracuse in home runs with 14. MMO’s Jorge Eckardt wrote an excellent piece on the 22-year-old acquired in the Justin Verlander trade that you can see here.

RHP Daniel Duarte (3.18 ERA) IP, R, H, BB, K
LHP Zach Thornton (3.91 ERA) 5 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 5 K
RHP Tobias Myers (0.00 ERA) 2 IP, R, H, K, W

It was Thornton’s third appearance for Syracuse since his major-league debut, and each start has been better than the previous one. The 24-year-old had made only two appearances at the Triple-A level when he was called on to start in Washington on May 20 and gave up four earned runs over 4 1/3 innings.

Double-A

Reading Fightin Phils (24-33) 2, Binghamton Rumble Ponies (23-34) 4

Box Score

C Chris Suero, 0-for-5, 3 K (.739 OPS)
3B Jacob Reimer, 2-for-4 (.737 OPS)
CF Eli Serrano III, 0-for-3, R, BB, 2 K (.650 OPS)
DH Nick Lorusso, 1-for-3, 2B, RBI, R, BB (.712 OPS)
LF Vincent Perozo, 2-for-4, HR (4), K (.833 OPS)

Perozo has homered in back-to-back games and the 23-year-old from Venezuela has hit four in 18 games since his promotion to Double-A.

LHP Max Green (1.26 ERA) 2 2/3 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 4 K, HR
RHP Jordan Geber (6.12 ERA) 3 IP, H, 3 BB, W
LHP Jefry Yan (3.86 ERA) IP, 3 K
RHP Carlos Guzman (3.14 ERA) IP, 2 K, SV

High-A

Brooklyn Cyclones (22-34) 5, Jersey Shore BlueClaws (22-34) 3

Box Score

SS Mitch Voit, 2-for-6, RBI, SB, 2 R, BB (.723 OPS)
RF John Bay, 2-for-4, R, HBP, 2 K (.781 OPS)
1B Corey Collins, 1-for-3, RBI, R, 2 BB (.767 OPS)
C Daiverson Gutierrez, 2-for-3, 3 RBI, BB (.542 OPS)
2B Colin Houck, 2-for-5, 2B (.584 OPS)

Voit, 21, is 6-for-21 with a home run, a double, six runs scored and four stolen bases in five tries in June. The Mets’ No. 6 prospect on MLB Pipeline hit an opposite-field homer on Saturday that you can see here. He was a first-round pick (38th overall) last year out of the University of Michigan, where he hit 14 home runs in 56 games and posted a 1.140 OPS.

RHP Noah Hall (6.02 ERA) 5 IP, 3 ER, 3 H, 5 BB, 6 K, HR, W
RHP Justin Armbruester (0.00 ERA) IP, 3 K
RHP Bryce Jenkins (2.49 ERA) IP, K
RHP Juan Arnaud (3.38 ERA) IP, 3 K
RHP Parker Carlson (4.03 ERA) IP, 2 K, SV

Hall, 25, became Brooklyn’s all-time leader in strikeouts with 178, passing Jaison Vilera of Venezuela, who was in the Mets’ system from 2016-2022. Hall was a seventh-round pick in 2023 out of the University of South Carolina and has fanned 51 in 52 1/3 innings this season.

Low-A

Clearwater Threshers (36-21) 11, St. Lucie Mets (25-32) 8

Box Score

SS Elian Peña, 1-for-5, BB, K (.796 OPS)
C Julio Zayas, 2-for-5, RBI, 2 R, K (.661 OPS)
3B Antonio Jimenez, 0-for-3, R, BB, 2 K (.646 OPS)
RF Yohairo Cuevas, 1-for-4, 2B, 2 R, BB, K (.864 OPS)
1B Chase Meggers, 2-for-4, 3 RBI, R, BB, K (.635 OPS)

Jimenez, 21, was a third-round pick last year out of the University of Central Florida who started the season at Brooklyn, but was demoted after posting a .387 OPS over 25 games there. He has hit better at St. Lucie, going 9-for-38 in 11 games. He’s the No. 15 Met prospect on MLB Pipeline, and scouts like his glove and arm best. He also plays shortstop.