One step forward, two steps back. Just as Francisco Alvarez was finding his stride since being recalled from Triple-A, the injury bug found him again. After exiting Sunday’s game after sliding head-first into second base, the Mets catcher returned to New York for additional testing. Alvarez is going on the injured list.
Alvarez has an UCL sprain in his right thumb. He will need surgery but the Mets think he could play through and be reevaluated in 10-14 days.
Hayden Senger has been recalled to take Alvarez’s spot on the roster.
This is a major blow to a Mets offense that was starting to click on all fronts, with Alvarez producing at the back of the lineup.
It’s the second hand injury for Alvarez this season, who suffered a fractured left hamate bone in spring training and missed the first month of the season. He also suffered a torn ligament in his left thumb in 2024.
Before being sent down to Triple-A, Alvarez was hitting .236/.319/.333 with just 29 hits, three home runs, three doubles, and 11 RBIs in 129 plate appearances. He ranked in the 27th percentile in blocks above average (negative two), an improvement from 2024, but what was most concerning in his defense was his framing. After ranking in the 88th percentile in framing in 2024, Alvarez ranks in just the 11th percentile in 2025. Sending him down to Triple-A was to help him reset both at-bat and behind the plate. And he did just that.
In a span of six games, Alvarez hit seven home runs for the Syracuse Mets and slashed .299/.397/.836 in 19 games. When the Mets recalled him, Alvarez showed signs of life again, similar to the player who hit 25 home runs in 2023. Before going down with this injury, Alvarez was hitting .323/.408/.645 (1.053 OPS) with six doubles, four home runs and 13 RBIs. He cut his strikeout percentage from 27.5% to 22.5% and increased his walk percentage from 9.4% to 12.7%.
