As the New York Mets returned home from a West Coast road trip in which the team went 5-4, they will now have to deal with yet another injury. This time, it’s Francisco Alvarez‘s turn.
Francisco Alvarez Leaves Game With a ‘Right Knee Injury’
The catcher left during Tuesday’s 10-2 blowout victory against the Detroit Tigers in the top of the sixth inning after swinging at a 2-2 pitch. Alvarez immediately felt pain after a healthy hack. He appeared to flex his right knee, and sure enough, the Mets confirmed later that it was the reason for his departure from the game. The Mets say that Alvarez will undergo imaging on Wednesday.
Manager Carlos Mendoza and the trainer came out to check on Alvarez, who explained to them what he was feeling. After Alvarez tested out his knee with a practice swing, they decided to remove him. Backup catcher Luis Torrens replaced Alvarez.
“We just gotta wait,” Mendoza said. “It didn’t look good on that swing, obviously. We saw it right away.”
It was a major blow to the crowd at Citi Field, who were having a jubilant time in Queens, something that hasn’t been said much at all this season, if at all. The Mets had called up No. 2-ranked prospect A.J. Ewing, who was in the lineup and playing center field, and the team was winning.
Another Setback for the Young Catcher
Francisco Alvarez was hitting .241/.317/.393, with four home runs, 10 RBI, and a .710 OPS across 37 games this season. For a Mets team that’s lacking power and extra-base hits as a whole, Alvarez was among the most productive in those categories for the club. His four home runs are tied for second with Juan Soto for the most on the Mets.
The 24-year-old has dealt with a plethora of major injuries over the past two years. Last year, Alvarez fractured his left hamate bone in March during live batting practice and required surgery, which caused him to miss several weeks. Later in August, he sustained a UCL sprain in his right thumb during a slide to second base. Following that incident, Alvarez was hit by a pitch, which wound up fracturing his left pinky.
In the event that Alvarez needs to spend time on the injured list, Torrens will serve as the everyday catcher, as he has done in previous years due to those previous trips to the IL that Alvarez had to take. Hayden Senger, who made his MLB debut for the Mets last year and appeared in 33 games, will likely be called up to serve as Torrens’ backup.
Main Photo Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images
