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: 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: 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.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Not starting Saturday
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Alvarez isn't in the Mets' lineup Saturday against Seattle.
Alvarez will get a breather after going 2-for-13 with an RBI across his last five games. Omar Narvaez will take his place behind the dish and bat eighth.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Absent from lineup again
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Alvarez is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game versus the Rangers.
Alvarez has now started just two of the last five games and five of the last 10 contests. The young catcher might be tiring, as he comes into action Wednesday with a .459 OPS in August. Omar Narvaez will handle the catching duties in Wednesday's series finale.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Sitting out series opener
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Alvarez is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Rangers, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.
Alvarez will sit for the second time in three days while the Mets remain conscious of managing the 22-year-old's catching workload as the season winds down. Omar Narvaez will get another turn behind the plate and could end up working in a roughly even timeshare with Alvarez in the final month of the campaign.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Takes seat Saturday
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Alvarez isn't in the Mets' lineup Saturday against the Angels.
Alvarez is 0-for-10 with five strikeouts across his last three starts, so he'll take a game off to regroup Saturday. Omar Narvaez will fill in behind the plate and bat seventh.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Sitting for second straight
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Alvarez is out of the lineup for Monday's game against Atlanta, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
Alvarez is on the bench for the second game in a row, but the Mets haven't suggested that the young backstop is dealing with an injury. Instead, Alvarez's consecutive absences are likely part of a predetermined management plan, as manager Buck Showalter acknowledged over the weekend that the Mets intend to keep a close eye on the 21-year-old's workload heading into the final month of the season, per James O'Connell of the New York Daily News. Alvarez is still expected to remain the Mets' nominal No. 1 catcher down the stretch, though veteran Omar Narvaez could end up cracking the lineup more frequently than he has been for most of the season.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Gets breather Wednesday
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Alvarez is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Pirates.
Alvarez appears to be receiving some routine maintenance while the Mets and Pirates conclude their series with a day game after a night game. Omar Narvaez will check in behind the dish in place of Alvarez, whose production has slowed down thus far in August with one home run and a .184 average on the month.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Resting Sunday
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Alvarez isn't in the Mets' lineup Sunday against Atlanta.
Alvarez is 1-for-8 with a double during New York's current series against Atlanta, and he'll take a seat for Sunday's finale. Omar Narvaez will take over behind the plate and bat sixth.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Receives Sunday off
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Alvarez is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Orioles.
Alvarez started the first two games of the series in Baltimore but will take a seat for the finale after going 0-for-6 with a walk. Omar Narvaez will step in behind the plate to catch for Jose Quintana.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Rest day Thursday
Rotowire
Alvarez is not in the lineup Thursday at Kansas City.
Omar Narvaez will start behind the plate and bat seventh for the visiting Mets as Alvarez grabs a bit of rest. The 21-year--old catcher boasts a .997 OPS with nine home runs and 18 RBI in 22 games (86 plate appearances) since the beginning of July.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Gets Sunday off
Rotowire
Alvarez is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Nationals.
After starting behind the dish the last two days and smacking his 20th home run of the season in Saturday's 11-6 loss, Alvarez will get a breather in the series finale. Omar Narvaez will check into the lineup Sunday as the Mets' starting catcher.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Sitting Thursday
Rotowire
Alvarez isn't in the Mets' lineup Thursday against the Nationals, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
After going 1-for-4 and scoring a run Wednesday, Alvarez will get a breather for Thursday's series opener. Omar Narvaez will take over behind the dish and bat ninth.
