Francisco Alvarez, catcher for the Mets, stated that he will miss at least six to eight weeks because of a ruptured thumb ligament.
After losing their first five games, the New York Mets (12-8) have won their last six and are in excellent spirits following a difficult start. But for the next few months, catcher Francisco Alvarez won’t be available to assist keep the momentum going.
Tim Healey of Newsday Sports reported on Sunday that Alvarez will undergo surgery on his left thumb on Tuesday and will be sidelined for six to eight weeks. Given that the 22-year-old was recently put on a 10-day inpatient list on Saturday, the timeline seems a little surprising.
After falling on his thumb while tumbling on the base paths on Friday, Alvarez re-injured it. Later, he found out that the event had caused a ruptured ligament. This followed the initial injury on Wednesday, when catcher Henry Davis of the Pittsburgh Pirates smacked him in the glove by accident with his swing.
Will it be possible for New York to survive for a few weeks without one of its key players?
Alvarez has demonstrated brief moments of why he was considered one of the class of 2018–19’s best international prospects. The indigenous Venezuelan is cutting.with one home run over 16 games, slugging 236/.288/.364, and sitting in the 92nd percentile according to Statcast’s catcher framing measure. These are noteworthy statistics for a player in his second season of play. J.T. Realmuto, a three-time All-Star and fellow catcher, is slashing.235/.288/.368 for the Philadelphia Phillies, as an example.
To make up for the loss, the Mets moved a few players on the roster, as reported by Dayn Perry and R.J. Anderson of CBS Sports.
“To make room for catcher Tomas Nido on the 40-man roster, the club recalled Nido from Triple-A and designated left-hander Kolton Ingram for assignment,” the statement read. “Omar Narváez is probably going to be the Mets’ regular behind the plate in Alvarez’s absence.”
In Alvarez’s absence, New York needs both Narváez and Nido to be dependable. If the Mets are going to continue shocking baseball fans in the upcoming weeks, they cannot afford to have the catcher position be an automatic out in the lineup.
The Alvarez successors might not be quite as good as him, but they should still be able to make an impact. Narváez participates in sports.Nido slashed.345/.345/.517 with two doubles, one home run, and two RBI at Triple-A Syracuse this season, while his slash line was 254/.338/.378.
