Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Could begin rehab next week
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Alvarez (knee) is going through full baseball activities and could be ready for a rehab assignment as soon as next week, Andrew Tredinnick of The Bergen Record reports.
Alvarez is just over two weeks removed from surgery to repair the meniscus in his right knee. He was given an eight-week timetable to return immediately following the operation, but the catcher is poised to beat that timeline by several weeks.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Begins hitting, could beat timeline
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Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Monday that Alvarez (knee) has already resumed hitting and could return well before his projected eight-week timetable, Max Goodman of NJ.com reports.
Alvarez is less than two weeks removed from surgery to repair the meniscus in his right knee. He still has plenty of benchmarks he needs to reach before a specific timeline for a return comes into focus, but Alvarez seems to now have a chance to be back before the end of June.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Expected to miss eight weeks
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Alvarez is expected to be sidelined eight weeks after undergoing right meniscus surgery Thursday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
On Wednesday, the Mets provided an initial timetable of 6-to-8 weeks, but after the operation was performed, the expectation now is that Alvarez will need the full eight weeks to recover. Luis Torrens will serve as the Mets' primary catcher while Alvarez is shelved, and Hayden Senger will slot in as the backup.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Out at least six weeks
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Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Wednesday that Alvarez will undergo surgery to address the torn meniscus in his right knee, and the Mets are hopeful that the catcher will be able to return to action in 6-to-8 weeks, Jorge Castillo of ESPN.com reports.
Alvarez exited Tuesday's 10-2 win over the Tigers after twisting his knee and was placed on the 10-day IL earlier Wednesday when an MRI confirmed the meniscus tear. Mendoza said that an official timeline for Alvarez's return won't be established until surgery is performed, but the skipper's comments point to the young catcher getting a partial meniscectomy rather than a full repair, which would entail a multi-month recovery. Luis Torrens will start at catcher Wednesday against Detroit and is likely to serve as the Mets' primary backstop for however long Alvarez is shelved.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Shelved with meniscus tear
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The Mets placed Alvarez on the 10-day injured list Wednesday due to a right meniscus tear.
Alvarez sustained the injury during the sixth inning of the Mets' 10-2 win over the Tigers on Tuesday, when he twisted his right leg on a swing. He was diagnosed with the meniscus tear following an MRI on Wednesday and will now be sidelined indefinitely. A clearer timeline for Alvarez's return should be known once the Mets determine whether he'll require a partial or total meniscectomy to address the injury; a partial meniscectomy or trim would likely allow Alvarez to return in 4-to-6 weeks, whereas a full meniscus repair would keep him on the shelf for multiple months and potentially the rest of the season. New York called up Hayden Senger from Triple-A Syracuse to provide another option at catcher, but Luis Torrens should be in line to take over as the Mets' primary backstop.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Exits early Tuesday
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Alvarez was removed from Tuesday's game against the Tigers with a right knee injury.
Alvarez went 1-for-2 with an RBI double and a run Tuesday but limped off the field after taking an aggressive swing at a pitch in the sixth inning. The severity of his injury will become known after he undergoes imaging Wednesday, and if he has to miss any amount of time, Luis Torrens would be in line for extra starts at catcher.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Receiving breather Sunday
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Alvarez is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks.
Alvarez started the previous five games and will get a well-deserved rest Sunday after going 5-for-17 with two walks, a double, an RBI and two runs during that span. Luis Torrens will step in behind the plate and bat ninth for the series finale in Arizona.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Grabbing some rest
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Alvarez is absent from the lineup for Thursday's tilt versus the Nationals.
Alvarez was behind the dish for each of the Mets' last three games, so he'll get a breather for Thursday's matinee. Luis Torrens is doing the catching and batting eighth in the rubber match.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Sitting for matinee
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Alvarez is out of the lineup for the first game of Sunday's doubleheader against the Rockies.
Alvarez was never likely to be behind the plate for both games of Sunday's twin bill, and he'll sit for the matinee after a run of four straight starts. Luis Torrens is doing the catching for Nolan McLean in the opener.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: On base three times Friday
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Alvarez went 2-for-3 with a walk, a run scored and an RBI in Friday's 12-4 loss to the Cubs.
While most of the Mets' roster has struggled during a nine-game losing streak, Alvarez has been able to keep his head above water. The 24-year-old backstop is slashing .294/.410/.549 through 18 games this season with four homers, five RBI, eight runs and a strong 8:11 BB:K, and his RBI opportunities should pick up as the lineup around him shakes out of its funk.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Receiving breather Sunday
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Alvarez is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Athletics.
Alvarez started the previous six games and went 6-for-19 (.316) with three walk and a homer during that span, and he'll get a well-deserved day off. Luis Torrens will step in behind the plate to do the catching for righty Freddy Peralta.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Idle Saturday
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Alvarez isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Giants.
Alvarez will get a breather after slugging a pair of solo homers during Friday's win. Luis Torrens will replace him behind the plate and bat ninth.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Pops pair of homers
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Alvarez went 2-for-5 with two solo home runs in Friday's 10-3 win over the Giants.
Alvarez went yard for the first time since Opening Day with his fourth-inning blast. He added a second homer in the seventh. The catcher is up to three long balls, three RBI, five runs scored and a double while batting. 286 over eight contests. Alvarez will likely have a majority of the starts behind the dish over Luis Torrens. After back-to-back regular seasons with 11 homers, Alvarez is looking to tap back into the rookie-year power that saw him swat 25 homers in 123 games in 2023 without sacrificing his gains in making better contact.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Back in lineup Saturday
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Alvarez (back) will start behind the plate and bat ninth in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Alvarez was lifted from Thursday's exhibition due to back tightness, a move which left fantasy managers holding their breath, but he has made a quick turnaround. Assuming no further issues, Alvarez should be fine to catch for Freddy Peralta on Opening Day.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Could return Saturday
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Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Friday that Alvarez (back) is feeling "better" and could rejoin the Grapefruit League lineup Saturday if he continues to improve, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
The 24-year-old backstop was removed from Thursday's Grapefruit League contest due to back tightness, but he may end up missing only one spring game. The Mets are likely to exercise caution with Opening Day less than a week away, but at this point Alvarez doesn't appear to be in danger of missing significant time.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Lifted Thursday due to tight back
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Alvarez was removed from Thursday's Grapefruit League game against Houston due to back tightness, Max Goodman of NJ.com reports.
Alvarez struck out in the third inning in his only plate appearance and was replaced by a pinch hitter in the fourth. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said the backstop's exit was precautionary, though it's not clear if Alvarez will miss additional time. He's been having a strong spring, slashing .364/.423/.636 with one home run, three doubles and four RBI through 10 games.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Will get eased into spring action
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Alvarez isn't expected to see game action this spring until the second week of the Grapefruit League schedule, Will Sammon and Tim Britton of The Athletic report.
The Mets are bringing a number of key position players along slowly this spring, including Luis Robert, Jorge Polanco and Brett Baty (hamstring). Alvarez underwent thumb surgery right after the end of last season, which explains the team's caution with its starting catcher, but the 24-year-old appeared to be fully healthy when he reported to camp. The Mets are hoping that good health extends into the regular season -- Alvarez played only 76 games in 2025, his lowest total in three years since becoming a big-league regular.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Drops pounds, will keep new stance
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Alvarez said Friday that he lost 8-to-10 pounds this offseason after changing his diet, Laura Albanese of Newsday reports.
Alvarez also added that he worked with director of hitting Jeff Albert in the offseason and plans to keep the batting stance he used down the stretch last season. The young catcher was demoted to Triple-A Syracuse for a while after struggling, and when he returned he went back to his old stance and slashed .276/.360/.561 with eight home runs in his final 40 games. Still just 24, Alvarez is a viable candidate to take a step forward in 2026. He underwent right thumb UCL surgery after the season but reported to spring training at full health.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Avoids arbitration with Mets
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The Mets and Alvarez (thumb) avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $2.4 million contract Thursday, Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com reports.
Alvarez had been arbitration-eligible for the first time as a Super 2 qualifier following a season that saw him put up a .787 OPS with 11 home runs over 76 tilts. The 24-year-old was scheduled to have surgery to repair a torn UCL in his right thumb shortly after the season, but he's expected to be ready to go for spring training.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: On bench Sunday
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Alvarez is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Nationals.
He'll give way to Luis Torrens behind the plate Sunday after starting at catcher in the first two games of the series. Alvarez has gone 8-for-25 (.320 average) with two home runs in his last seven games.
