Francisco Alvarez, Jose Iglesias Resting Against Nationals
New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez and veteran infielder Jose Iglesias are getting breathers on Thursday in the series finale against the division-rival Washington Nationals. Luis Torrens is behind the plate and is batting sixth, while Jeff McNeil gets the start at the keystone and will hit ninth against Nationals left-hander MacKenzie Gore. Alvarez missed some time earlier this year due to injury, but he's back now and has some of the most upside among the young catchers in the game. The 22-year-old backstop is hitting .301/.373/.489 on the year with an .862 OPS, four homers and 23 RBI in 133 at-bats. Iglesias started in five of the team's previous six games and has surprisingly gone 24-for-71 (.338) with 14 RBI since joining the Mets. If he continues to swing a hot bat, he should see regular playing time at second base at the expense of the struggling McNeil. UPDATE: Iglesias is under the weather and needed an IV after cramping up after Wednesday's game.
New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez (elbow) is back behind the plate and will hit fifth for the Mets on Sunday against the hosting Pittsburgh Pirates and right-hander Luis L. Ortiz. Alvarez was hit by a pitch on his left elbow in Friday's blowout loss to the Pirates in the series opener and was held out of action on Saturday in the second game of the series. The 22-year-old backstop avoided a serious injury, though, and will return after just one day off. Alvarez has swung a hot bat since returning from the injured list on June 11, batting .338/.413/.600 with three home runs, 15 RBI and eight runs scored, so fantasy managers will want to get him back into their starting lineups everywhere. Alvarez only has four long balls on the season but has some of the most offensive upside of any young catcher in the game. He has hit .292 (35-for-120) on the season.
New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said that catcher Francisco Alvarez (elbow) is fine after being hit by a pitch on his left elbow in Friday's blowout loss to the hosting Pittsburgh Pirates. "We'll see what we got. That was pretty scary there," Mendoza said following the game. Alvarez was in significant pain after taking a 99-mph fastball from Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes off his left elbow on Friday, but he was able to stay in the contest the rest of the way. While it doesn't sound like a significant concern at this time, Alvarez's elbow could swell up overnight and threaten his availability for the remainder of the weekend. It sounds like the 22-year-old slugging backstop is going to be re-evaluated, making his status certainly something to monitor ahead of Saturday's matchup with Pittsburgh. In 134 plate appearances for the Mets this year, Alvarez is slashing a promising .292/.358/.492 with four home runs, 10 doubles, 23 RBI, and one stolen base.
Francisco Alvarez, Harrison Bader Resting Against Astros
New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez and outfielder Harrison Bader are both out of the lineup on Sunday for the series finale against the visiting Houston Astros. Luis Torrens is doing the catching and is batting eighth, with Brandon Nimmo in center field and hitting out of the two-hole against Astros right-hander Shawn Dubin. Alvarez will get a much-needed day of rest after starting each of the team's last 17 games. The 22-year-old backstop has been raking, too, slashing .471/.558/.822 in that time frame with three home runs and five doubles. Bader will get a day off after going 6-for-20 with two home runs, three doubles and two stolen bases while starting each of the last five games. Ben Gamel also draws into New York's lineup on Sunday in left field while batting seventh.
New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez remained red-hot in Wednesday night's blowout Subway Series win over the crosstown-rival New York Yankees in Queens, whacking his fourth home run of the year. Before sharply lining an RBI double to right field and plating Brandon Nimmo to extend the Mets lead to 4-0 in the fifth inning, Alvarez lifted an opposite-field two-run home run to bring Nimmo around to score and extend New York's lead to 3-0 during the third frame. The hard-hitting 22-year-old backstop is on fire right now, slashing .415/.500/.732 with three bombs, four doubles, and 11 RBI in 41 at-bats since coming off the injured list on June 11. He was one of the top prospects in all of baseball for 2023, and Alvarez is starting to look the part, albeit during limited action overall in 2024.
New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez homered for the second straight game in Saturday's 8-1 loss to the Cubs. The home run accounted for the Mets only run of the ballgame, although Alvarez also doubled and walked in the contest. Alvarez was 2-for-14 (.143) over the first four games off the IL, but since then the 22-year-old is 10-for-19 (.526) over his last five games with two doubles, two home runs, three runs scored, and six RBI. Coming off a 2023 campaign in which he hit 25 home runs, fantasy managers would like to see this power surge keep going. So far he's also lowered his K% from 26.0% to 23.2% and upped his Contact% to 75.3%, so a final BA above last year's .209 seems plausible.
Mets Hoping Francisco Alvarez Can Return Next Week
New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez (thumb), who is recovering from surgery on his thumb, will not join the Mets in London this weekend against the division-rival Philadelphia Phillies. However, the Mets are hopeful that Alvarez can return from the 10-day injured list on their ensuing homestand that begins next Tuesday, June 11, against the visiting Miami Marlins. The 22-year-old backstop has been out since April 20 due to a fractured left thumb, but the Mets and fantasy managers are about to get him back soon. When healthy, Alvarez is the Mets' unquestioned starter behind the plate, although they could ease him back into big-league action when he returns next week. So far on his minor-league rehab assignment with Double-A Binghamton, Alvarez has gone 2-for-8 with a homer and two walks. He should not be floating around on any waiver wires with his return imminent.
Francisco Alvarez To Begin Rehab Assignment Thursday
New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said ahead of Tuesday's game against the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers that catcher Francisco Alvarez (thumb) will begin a minor-league rehab assignment on Thursday with Double-A Binghamton. Alvarez will catch five to seven innings, and it's a great sign that's already good to go to for game action after he had no issues swinging in batting practice amid his recovery from surgery on his left thumb. Alvarez is firmly on track to return to the Mets in late June, or perhaps even a bit earlier if all continues to go well. The 22-year-old former top prospect may have been hitting just .236 (13-for-55) with one home run as New York's primary catcher before getting hurt, but he did have four doubles and one stolen base over 16 games and is worth stashing in all fantasy leagues for his power potential at the catcher position.
Francisco Alvarez Could Be Back Within The Next Month
New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez (thumb) could be back with the team within the next month and has taken batting practice the last couple of days, consistently hitting balls with exit velocities over 100 mph. Alvarez was wearing a splint and may continue to do so whenever he's activated from the injured list. The Mets may need to be mindful of how they bring Alvarez back, and they also need to be mindful of his positioning behind the plate. The young 22-year-old backstop is eager to frame pitches and steal strikes for his pitchers, but that makes him susceptible to contact on a swing. Alvarez needed surgery on his thumb and was hitting .236 (13-for-55) with a homer and eight RBI in 16 games at the time of his injury in April. Until Alvarez returns, Omar Narvaez and Tomas Nido will continue to split playing time behind the dish for the Metropolitans.
Francisco Alvarez Set To Take Batting Practice Soon
New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez (thumb) is scheduled to take batting practice when the club opens a homestand that begins on Friday, and he has been catching pitches with a splint inside his mitt. Alvarez is progressing well and perhaps ahead of schedule as he recuperates from ligament surgery in his left thumb, and he's still on course for a mid-to-late June return to the Mets. The 22-year-old slugging backstop was hitting just .236 (13-for-55) with one home run as New York's primary catcher before heading to the sidelines, but he did have four doubles and one stolen base over 16 games and is worth stashing in all fantasy leagues for his power upside at the catcher position. As long as Alvarez remains on the shelf, veterans Omar Narvaez and Tomas Nido will continue sharing work in a platoon for at-bats behind the dish.
