Francisco Alvarez and Jeff McNeil each began the season on the injured list. Alvarez dealt with a fractured hamate bone in his left hand, while McNeil dealt with a strained right oblique. Both are now set to return to the big league roster and make their 2025 debut this weekend against the Washington Nationals, rejoining a red-hot, first-place team in the process.
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A few months ago, both Alvarez and McNeil were expected to get playing time nearly everyday at catcher and second base, respectively, but that has slightly changed due to others producing, as well as because of their own injuries. Let’s talk about it.
Alvarez’s situation is certainly more simple. Luis Torrens has been fantastic, contributing offensively and excelling defensively. In 21 games, he is slashing .241/.279/.379 with one home run and eight runs batted in. His batting average has taken a dip during a recent rough patch, but overall his offense has been impactful, especially in key moments. In terms of his defense, Torrens has done the bulk of the work with a pitching staff that owns a league-best 2.34 ERA. He has also thrown out five of 10 runners attempting to steal a base.
Torrens has earned playing time and more than what a typical backup would typically get. It is probably in the best interest of the Mets to ease Alvarez back in, at least initially. It’s reasonable to expect both catchers to split time in the coming weeks. It will take Alvarez time to get comfortable with some of the new arms in addition to getting the necessary amount of at bats. Come June or even July, Alvarez could earn the bigger share of the reps. But for now, he and Torrens should get an equal amount behind the plate.
McNeil has a much different outlook, largely due to his versatility. In his absence, Luisangel Acuña and Brett Baty got all of the playing time at second base. Acuña was the better of the two, hitting .361 with an .897 OPS over his last 40 plate appearances. But after a really slow start, Baty slashed .273/.333/.485 over his last 37 plate appearances. That stretch also included a two-run home run off Zack Wheeler Wednesday, his first of the season.
Jose Siri going down with a fractured left tibia changes the complexion of the outfield, specifically in center field. Tyrone Taylor will get most of the playing time there, but the Mets need a backup. José Azócar has the most amount of reps at the position, which certainly factored into the club’s decision to demote Baty alongside Hayden Senger on Thursday.
Regardless of position, McNeil is going to play. Whether it is at second, left, right or center field, he is going to get plenty of run. His second half during the 2024 season, prior to fracturing his right wrist, gave fans hope that McNeil’s offensive talent is still there. A .289/.376/.547 slash line with seven home runs and 20 runs batted in across 149 plate appearances is impressive.
Can he replicate something similar a season later? Time will tell. We should expect McNeil to see time primarily at second base and in left field, with one of Nimmo or Acuña filling in as the backup center fielder while also earning playing time elsewhere.
