Mets starting catcher Francisco Alvarez is getting ready to return from a surgically-repaired broken … More
The New York Mets thought they caught a bad break when Francisco Alvarez broke a bone in his left hand in early March.
Alvarez, their power-hitting young catcher, needed surgery and was expected to be sidelined six to eight weeks.
Shortly before the Mets opened their 2025 home season April 4 with a 5-0 victory over Toronto, however, manager Carlos Mendoza told the media that Alvarez was ahead of schedule.
Quick Return
Alvarez is working his way back quickly, even catching a bullpen workout thrown by starter Kodai Senga Friday and taking his cuts in the batting cage.
The Mets are anxious to have the right-handed slugger return to their lineup; he hit 23 home runs as a rookie in 2023 and handled their pitching staff well.
With Alvarez absent, the Mets have relied on Luis Torrens, who played in 44 games last year after his arrival from the crosstown Yankees on May 31.
Torrens, known primarily as a glove-first backstop, hit .308 in his first 22 games of 2024 before going into a tailspin down the stretch.
This year, however, he’s been a surprising reason that the Mets have started the season with a 4-3 record.
He had three extra-base hits, including a home run, through the first four games of the 2025 campaign. That included doubles in both of his first two games. And his batting average was .313.
Veteran closer Edwin Diaz confers with young catcher Luis Torrens, understudy for the injured … More
The rifle-armed Torrens also threw out runners with surprising regularity. Entering play Friday, he had erased 50 per cent of would-be base-stealers. No catcher had a better success ratio.
Though not known for his hitting, Torrens needed only four runs batted in to bring his career total to an even 100.
Backup’s Backup
Behind him, the Mets have only Hayden Senger, a former Miami University of Ohio standout who made his major-league debut on March 27 as a defensive replacement.
Despite a .230 career batting average in the minors, Senger won the Mets Player Development Platinum Glove Award in 2023.
Still a rookie, Senger got his first major-league hit with an opposite-field double in Miami on April 2.
Whenever Alvarez returns, Senger is virtually certain to be returned to the minor leagues, with Torrens resuming his former role as understudy for the slugging starter.
In the meantime, it appears the Mets have survived despite the gaping hole in their expected starting lineup.
To compound the felony, starting second baseman Jeff McNeil is also sidelined. He’s out with an oblique injury, allowing promising backup infielders Luisangel Acuna and Bret Baty to fill in.
Both are versatile players also capable of handling shortstop or third base if needed.
Thanks to the considerable help they received from their role players a year ago, the Mets reached the playoffs and played deep into October before the Dodgers finally sent them home for the winter by winning the NL Championship Series.
The Mets have not won a pennant since 2015 or a World Series since 1986.
