Jun 4, 2021; San Diego, California, USA; New York Mets catcher James McCann (33) reacts after being ejected by home plate umpire Quinn Wolcott (81) during the ninth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

James McCann may not want to check the recent box scores of Binghamton Rumble Pony games.

Whether in a few months, the last week of this season, or sometime next year, one thing is inevitable surrounding the Mets’ catching position: Francisco Álvarez, the 20-year-old star prospect from Venezuela, will soon be the everyday starting catcher in Queens. The only thing preventing him from being called up to the major leagues now is his lack of playing time at the minor league level; in fact, he hasn’t even made it to Triple-A Syracuse yet.

Álvarez has been on fire to start 2022. In his first action at the Double-A level, Álvarez is slashing .290/.378/.711 with four home runs, four doubles, and 12 runs batted in through ten games.

So while McCann should be feeling some short-term pressure because of Álvarez’s success, the former Tiger and White Sox certainly is not helping out his cause either. He has just four hits in 32 at bats this season, batting a paltry .125 while posting an OPS of .487. In addition, the Mets’ current catcher’s 86.1 mph average exit velocity is the worst of his nine-year MLB career. Quite simply, McCann looks lost at the plate.

James McCann hit his first home run of the season over the weekend, a pleasant surprise. However, he is far from the pace he set in 2019 with the White Sox when McCann earned his first-ever All-Star nod in a season that saw him finish with 18 homers and 26 doubles.

His success on the South Side brought him an incredible payday, with the Mets handing him a four-year deal worth slightly over $40 million in total value. Now, the Mets would have difficulty justifying paying McCann even half of that amount.

McCann has done an excellent job as a defensive catcher, handling the Mets pitching staff very well and calling great games from behind the plate. MMO’s Nihar Maskara took a deep dive into his defensive prowess leading into the 2021 season. But there’s no such thing as a designated fielder in baseball, so if McCann wants to keep his steady playing time – let alone carve out a significant role with the Mets – he needs to get his act together as a batter.

If not, Mets fans can perhaps dream about a deGrom-Álvarez battery sooner than anticipated. And no disrespect to Tomás Nido, but his role on this Mets squad doesn’t yell much more than an effective backup catcher that can pick up an occasional day in the starting lineup.

For now, the pressure is on McCann to earn his praise from the Mets fan base.