Mets provide another much-needed positive update on Francisco Alvarez

The New York Mets may not be without catcher Francisco Alvarez for much longer.

Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

If it weren’t for bad luck, New York Mets young catcher Francisco Alvarez would have no luck at all.

A spring training injury set him back from the start, and led to him enduring a brutal beginning to the 2025 season both offensively and defensively. As a result of his struggles, the Mets demoted him to Triple-A Syracuse so that he could figure things out.

On July 21, he was recalled by New York to the big league club. The reset looked to have done its job with Alvarez’s production taking off upon his arrival. In 21 games since rejoining the club, the 23-year-old backstop produced a .323/.408/.645 slash line with four home runs, six doubles and one triple; he knocked in 13 runs, recorded 20 hits overall in 62 at-bats and scored 14 times. Along with the offensive production with the bat, he was providing an impact behind the plate defensively as well.

Finally finding his stride, bad luck struck again. Alvarez suffered a sprained thumb when sliding head-first into second base during the MLB Little League Classic against the Seattle Mariners. The injury was bad enough that surgery will eventually have to be done to fix it.

Mets Provide Positive Francisco Alvarez Update Despite Latest Setback

Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The Mets and Alvarez were both hopeful that he would be able to play through the injury and go under the knife in the offseason. It certainly looked like that was possible once he returned to action and was producing again. Alas, he wasn’t out of the woods yet, as he suffered another injury during his rehab assignment.

Alvarez was hit by a pitch in the left hand, fracturing his left pinky. Unable to catch a break, another obstacle was placed in front of him on his route to returning to the big league team. However, this one looks like it will be overcome.

As shared by Alex Smith of SNY, Alvarez is expected to catch for the Triple-A Syracuse Mets on Sunday and could be back with the major league team later this week.

Francisco Alvarez will catch for Syracuse today and could possibly return to the majors this week https://t.co/F89UsSlL16 pic.twitter.com/GUpKOX0RaC

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 31, 2025

Read More: New York Mets provide promising Francisco Alvarez update

After serving as the designated hitter on Saturday and reporting no issues, the young catcher is taking the next step in his rehab process. The expectation is that he will be behind the plate for anywhere between seven and nine innings. An off-day for the team is scheduled on Monday before another step is determined.

“At this point, nothing is going to surprise me or all of us in here,” New York manager Carlos Mendoza said. “It’s pretty remarkable what he’s doing. So, yeah, we’ll see how it goes today. Pretty sure he’s off tomorrow and then we’ll see what the next day is going to look like. But again, having him catch real games and how he’s going to feel afterwards is the biggest test.”

Pain tolerance will be important for Alvarez: Can he receive the ball properly despite the fractured pinky on his glove hand? Swinging the bat doesn’t seem to be an issue at this point, but his ability to play defense will determine how quickly he is back with the Mets.