Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Recovered from heel injury
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Alvarez (heel) felt better Monday and the Mets are unconcerned about the catcher's health going into the offseason, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.
Alvarez had to exit Sunday's regular-season finale after taking a ball off his heel, but it appears that it will be a non-issue heading into the winter. Although he faded after the All-Star break, Alvarez still finished with 25 home runs in his rookie season, which ranked second only to Cal Raleigh among catchers.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Gets afternoon off
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Alvarez will sit for the first half of Saturday's doubleheader against the Phillies, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
Alvarez won't be asked to start twice in one day but could still get one or two more starts in before the end of the year. After hitting .238/.295/.514 in the first half, he's managed just a .168/.263/.305 line since the break, though his overall 93 wRC+ and 23 homers makes for a more than adequate performance from a 21-year-old catcher. Omar Narvaez will crouch behind the plate Saturday afternoon.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Goes yard twice in nightcap
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Alvarez went 2-for-3 with a walk, two home runs, a third run scored and six RBI in an 11-4 win over the Phillies during the second game of Saturday's doubleheader.
It was a big day for Mets catchers, as Omar Narvaez launched his second homer of the season in the matinee, but Alvarez was the star of the show in the nightcap. The 21-year-old slugged both his long balls off Michael Plassmeyer -- a two-run shot in the second inning and a grand slam in the third, the first of his young career. Alvarez is up to 25 homers in 122 games in his first full big-league season, and his .211/.285/.439 slash line figures to improve as he matures given his 77th percentile barrel rate and 91st percentile max exit velocity in 2023.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Not starting in nightcap
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Alvarez isn't in the Mets' lineup for the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Marlins, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
After going 0-for-3 with two strikeouts during Game 1, Alvarez's hitless streak extended to seven games. Omar Narvaez will fill in behind the plate and bat ninth.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Starting at catcher Tuesday
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Alvarez (finger) is starting at catcher and batting seventh Tuesday versus Miami.
Alvarez made an early exit from Sunday's series finale at Philadelphia because of a bruised finger on his left hand, but it was never a serious concern. He's gone hitless over his last six games and will try to snap that streak Tuesday against the Marlins and left-hander Braxton Garrett.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Exits after being hit by foul tip
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Alvarez (hand) left Sunday's contest versus the Phillies in the bottom of the sixth inning, Tim Healey of Newsday Sports reports.
Alvarez took two foul tips off of his left hand and was forced to leave the game. Omar Narvaez replaced him behind the plate, and more information on Alvarez's status will likely come following Sunday's contest.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Dealing with bruised finger
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Mets manager Buck Showalter said after Sunday's 5-2 loss to the Phillies that Alvarez is dealing with a finger contusion after being hit on the left hand by two foul tips, Dan Gelston of the Associated Press reports.
The injury doesn't sound like anything that will result in Alvarez being shut down for the final week of the season, but it could provide further reason to continue to limit the young backstop's workload. Alvarez had already been splitting reps behind the plate with Omar Narvaez throughout September, so Showalter could lean more heavily on Narvaez as the team's No. 1 catcher for the final six contests. After going 0-for-2 prior to his departure Sunday, Alvarez is now hitless in 13 at-bats over his last six games, dropping his season-long batting average to .211.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Remains on bench
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Alvarez will sit for the second straight game Saturday against the Phillies.
One would expect a 71-83 team to maximize at-bats for its 21-year-old catcher of the future down the stretch, but it's instead been 31-year-old impending free agent Omar Narvaez to start three of the last four games behind the plate. Perhaps the Mets simply don't want to tax Alvarez's knees too much at the end of a long season. The rookie's .213/.286/.433 season slash line is good for a 97 wRC+, a perfectly acceptable mark for a catcher, but he's managed just a .171/.269/.291 line (60 wRC+) since the start of August, which suggests he could use a break.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Not in lineup Friday
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Alvarez is out of the lineup Friday versus the Phillies.
Alvarez has been sharing starts this week with Omar Narvaez, who is behind the plate and batting ninth for the Mets on Friday at Philadelphia. Alvarez went 0-for-3 with an RBI sac fly in Thursday's series-opening loss.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Takes seat Wednesday
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Alvarez is not in the lineup Wednesday at Miami.
Omar Narvaez will catch and bat ninth. Alvarez went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in the Mets' loss to the Marlins on Tuesday, but the 21-year-old backstop holds an .818 OPS with two homers, four doubles and nine RBI in 13 games since the calendar flipped to September.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Sitting Monday
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Alvarez is out of the lineup for Monday's game in Miami.
Alvarez appears to be receiving a routine day off after he started behind the dish in the final two games of the Mets' weekend series with the Reds while going 3-for-10 with two doubles and three RBI. Omar Narvaez will get the starting nod at catcher Monday.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Day off Friday
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Alvarez isn't in the Mets' lineup Friday against Cincinnati, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
Alvarez will get a day off Friday despite collecting a hit in each of his last three games -- including a home run Tuesday. Omar Narvaez will start behind the plate and bat ninth while Alvarez sits.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Not in lineup Wednesday
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Alvarez is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Diamondbacks.
Omar Narvaez will start at catcher and bat ninth. Alvarez recorded his 23rd home run and second stolen base of the year in the Mets' defeat of the D-backs on Tuesday.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Flashes skills in Tuesday's win
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Alvarez went 1-for-3 with a walk, a solo home run and a stolen base in Tuesday's 7-4 win over the Diamondbacks.
The 21-year-old backstop took Scott McGough deep in the eighth for his 23rd homer of the season, a couple innings after he'd swiped his second bag of the year. Alvarez has looked fatigued down the stretch and is slashing just .164/.303/.291 over his last 20 games, but he remains a key part of the Mets' youth movement heading into 2024.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Back in lineup Tuesday
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Alvarez (hand) is back in the lineup Tuesday against the Diamondbacks.
Alvarez sat out Monday's series opener after taking a pitch off his right hand Sunday in Minnesota, but X-rays turned up clean and he's good to go for Tuesday's tilt at Citi Field. The 21-year-old will start at catcher and bat ninth versus the Diamondbacks and right-hander Ryne Nelson.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Not in Monday's lineup
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Alvarez (hand) is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the Diamondbacks, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
Alvarez had to be removed from Sunday's win over the Twins after being hit on the hand by a pitch. X-rays came back negative and he's considered day-to-day, but the young catcher will miss at least one start. Omar Narvaez is behind the dish Monday, though manager Buck Showalter said that while Alvarez is still sore, the 21-year-old could be available in a pinch-hitting capacity, per Laura Albanese of Newsday.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Managing hand issue
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Alvarez underwent an X-ray on his hand that came back negative following Sunday's win over the Twins, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.
Alvarez was removed from Sunday's matchup in the bottom of the seventh inning after going 1-for-1 while also being hit by a pitch. He's dealing with a hand injury but doesn't appear to be dealing with structural damage. The 21-year-old should tentatively be considered day-to-day ahead of Monday's series opener against the Diamondbacks.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Sitting Saturday
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Alvarez isn't in the Mets' lineup Saturday against the Twins.
Alvarez will take a seat Saturday after going 0-for-3 with a walk and a run scored in Friday's series opener. Omar Narvaez will take over behind the plate and bat ninth.
