New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez (hand) had the stitches removed from his surgically-repaired left hand on Monday, and he will begin working on strength and ramping up baseball activities, according to manager Carlos Mendoza. When Alvarez initially suffered his hand injury, he was given a timetable of six to eight weeks. It means that barring any setbacks once he begins swinging the bat full speed, the 23-year-old backstop has a chance to come off the injured list to make his 2025 debut before the end of April. Until that comes to pass, Luis Torrens will serve as the Mets' starting catcher, with Hayden Senger winning the backup job out of spring training. Alvarez's hand injury limited him to 100 regular-season games in 2024, but he deserves to be stashed in all fantasy leagues after he hit 25 home runs in his first full big-league season in 2023.
Francisco Alvarez Out 6-8 Weeks With Hand Fracture
New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez (hand) will be sidelined six-to-eight weeks due to a fractured hamate bone in his left hand. He is set to undergo surgery on Monday. The 23-year-old has been participating in spring training and was slated to be the team's primary backstop in 2025. Last summer, Alvarez missed a significant portion of the season due to a torn UCL in his left thumb. The young backstop could now be facing his second extended absence in consecutive seasons. Fantasy managers should continue monitoring his status as he will likely miss all of April and potentially part of May. Across 100 contests last season, the 23-year-old posted a .237/.307/.403 with 11 home runs. However, during the 2023 season, Alvarez flashed high power upside as he went deep 23 times and added 12 doubles across 123 contests. While Alvarez is sidelined, fantasy managers should expect Luis Torrens to move to the top of the depth chart with Jakson Reetz serving as the No. 2 option.
New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez revamped his swing in the offseason with help from former Mets designated hitter J.D. Martinez. "He wants to be a complete hitter, not just a power hitter," manager Carlos Mendoza said. Alvarez hit 25 homers as a rookie in 2023, but he hit just 11 last year in 342 plate appearances. He slashed .185/.237/.274 in July and August, but he rebounded with a .900 OPS and five long balls in September. In the offseason, the 23-year-old backstop said he worked on his stance, use of his hands and lower-body movements with his swing. He had a tendency to "spin out" and step towards third base with his swing as opposed to stepping back up the middle. Alvarez hopes the changes improve his plate discipline and help him hit the ball up the middle more. Using the field more could make Alvarez a nice bounce-back candidate, as will being healthier after he missed seven-plus weeks with a torn UCL in his left hand.
Francisco Alvarez Collects Three Hits In Mets' Rout On Friday Night
New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez collected three hits on Friday night, including an RBI single, in the Mets' 12-6 rout of the Los Angeles Dodgers. It was Alvarez's best performance of the postseason and helped improve his subpar playoff stat line to a more tolerable .225/.262/.512 slash line. His presence at the bottom of the lineup helped give New York strength throughout their entire lineup that produced thoroughly on Friday. As a steady presence behind the plate for New York the entire postseason, Mets fans and DFS players should expect Alvarez to be behind the plate on Sunday once again. The Dodgers have yet to name a starter but the expectation is that they will roll out a bullpen game. DFS managers may want to take caution when adding Alvarez to their lineups and not buy too high on Friday night's performance.
New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez (back) left Friday night's game early against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field due to back spasms, according to the team. Alvarez looked to be in considerable pain after sliding into third base in the seventh inning and was replaced by Luis Torrens. Before leaving, he went 0-for-1 at the plate with two walks, a run scored and a strikeout. The 22-year-old backstop was helped off the field by trainers and probably isn't going to be ready to play in Game 2 of the series on Saturday. It's a terrible time for one of the Mets' better players to get hurt as they seek one of the last two wild-card spots in the National League. Torrens would become the primary catcher for the Mets if Alvarez needs more time off. Overall, it's been a disappointing season for Alvarez in 2024 after he hit 25 bombs and drove in 63 in 2023. This year, he's hitting .234 with only 11 homers and 44 RBI in his 96 games played. After two more games in Milwaukee this weekend, the Mets face the division-rival Braves on Monday in a doubleheader that could decide the final wild-card team.
New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez is in the lineup and will bat ninth in Tuesday's game against the Boston Red Sox, returning to the lineup after sitting out on Monday. Alvarez is hitting .233/.294/.369 with six homers, 30 RBI, and 28 runs scored in 79 games, but is in the midst of a stretch that has seen him hitting .169/.213/.239 with a homer, three RBI, and nine runs scored over the last 30 days. Daily fantasy managers should avoid him while those in standard formats should look elsewhere for production until Alvarez begins tapping into the potential that once made him an elite prospect.
New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez will get the day off on Sunday as the Mets look to clinch a series victory over the San Diego Padres. As a result, Luis Torrens will be behind the dish and bat in the eight-hole. In his past six games, Alvarez has tallied only one hit, which was a solo shot on August 19. Torrens has held a mere .136/.208/.136 line through eight games this month with no extra-base hits. Torrens will face San Diego southpaw Martin Perez, who has been on a strong run as of late, boasting a 2.17 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP across his past 29 innings. Alvarez should be expected to rejoin the starting lineup on Tuesday evening as the Mets travel to the desert to face the Diamondbacks.
New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez walked it off in Monday's series-opening win over the visiting Baltimore Orioles at Citi Field, blasting a solo home run in the ninth inning to cap off the victory. Alvarez belted a walk-off homer off Orioles right-hander Seranthony Dominguez to center field, securing the Mets' 4-3 win over Baltimore on Monday. The 22-year-old slugging backstop entered the day in a brutal slump, batting .162 (11-for-68) with one long ball over his last 21 games as New York's top catcher, so fantasy managers are hoping Monday's heroics bring on a hot streak for Alvarez.
New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez (shoulder) is back behind the plate and is hitting eighth for the Mets in Wednesday's series finale against the visiting Minnesota Twins and right-hander Pablo Lopez. Left-shoulder soreness kept Alvarez out of the starting lineup for each of the last two games, but it was nothing serious, and he'll return to the bottom of New York's batting order on Wednesday. Alvarez is hitting a career-best .266 (45-for-169) this year, but his power is way down with only five round-trippers after he impressed with 25 long balls in 123 games played in his first full season in the big leagues in 2023. The 22-year-old backstop is also in the midst of a pretty bad slump, as he's gone just 2-for-23 (.087) with a homer, two RBI, two walks and seven strikeouts in seven games since July 20.
New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez (shoulder) has been dealing with a sore left shoulder, according to manager Carlos Mendoza. Alvarez will be available off the bench in Monday's series opener against the visiting Minnesota Twins, but the Mets hope to give him the full day off. Luis Torrens will do the catching for the Mets and will bat eighth against Twins rookie right-hander Simeon Woods Richardson. It sounds like a minor injury for Alvarez, so he could be back in the lineup for Game 2 of the series on Tuesday. Fantasy managers will want to check back then. The 22-year-old backstop has been slumping since the All-Star break, going 3-for-27 (.111) with a homer, two RBI and eight strikeouts in eight games played, so hopefully the day off on Monday can get him going when he returns to action.
Francisco Alvarez
• C
•
Mets
