The New York Mets have struggled to stay afloat in the NL East, already trailing the first-place Philadelphia Phillies by 15 games. But perhaps the return of catcher Francisco Alvarez is the exact spark the Mets need for a turnaround.
Alvarez is set to begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Binghamton on Thursday. He is expected to catch seven innings and comes after he took batting practice on the field Sunday, via Jorge Castillo of ESPN.
Alvarez is working his way back from a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his thumb that he suffered back in mid-April. Given a six-to-eight week injury return timeline after surgery, Tuesday was the five-week mark.
When he begins his rehab assignment, president of baseball operations David Stearns wants to see how Alvarez handles being behind the plate. With the serious injury being to Alvarez's hand, Stearns wants to ensure his backstop can physically catch baseballs alongside everyday activities.
“You can simulate what this is going to be like from the hitting perspective in the cage with velo machines, on the field with BP,” Stearns said. “The added complication here when you're a catcher wit this injury is how it's going to feel to receive a baseball. That's the hurdle and we won't really know until he gets out there, but everything is going really well so far.”
While Alvarez has plenty of hurdles to jump over, he is taking the requisite steps to get back to New York. Mets fans will need to wait a little long, but manager Carlos Mendoza is pleased with the catcher's progress.
“Everything is moving in the right direction, and the fact that he's now ready to go in games, that's a good sign for us,” Mendoza said.
At 22-32, it's hard to imagine Francisco Alvarez singlehandedly bringing the Mets back into contention. However, he'll provide a strong bat in the lineup and immaculate defense behind the plate. Even if the Mets aren't in playoff contention in 2024, Alvarez is a crucial part of the team's future. Having him back with the team in New York will only help his development.
What Francisco Alvarez provides Mets
Signed by the Mets as an international free agent out of Venezuela in 2018, it didn't take long for the catcher to make a name for himself. By 2021, he was already the top prospect in New York's organization and the 48th-best in all of baseball, via MLB Pipeline. One year later, Alvarez was called up for his MLB debut.
In just a five-game cup of coffee, Alvarez hit .167 with a home run. He got a much longer leash in 2023, appearing in 123 games. That season, the backstop hit .209 with 25 home runs and 63 RBI. His batting average certainly wasn't pretty, but New York desperately needed the offense. Alvarez ranked third on the team in home runs and fourth in RBI.
The backstop was hitting .236 to begin the 2024 campaign, with a home run and eight RBI over his first 16 games. While the batting average is improving, the Mets are hopeful he becomes a more consistent hitter. Still, they won't mind having 25+ home runs and 50+ RBI in their lineup.
Soon that will be a reality, as Francisco Alvarez works his way back from major surgery. He'll first need to work out the kinks in Double-A. But assuming his rehab assignment goes well, the Mets will have their catcher of the present and future in the lineup sooner rather than later.
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