Mets' Francisco Alvarez Placed on IL with Significant Knee Injury

New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez will miss an extended period of time after suffering a right meniscus tear.

Apr 8, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez (4) runs to first base after hitting a single against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the fifth inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images | John Jones-Imagn Images

The hits continue to come for the New York Mets, as another starter is on his way to the injured list.

This time it is catcher Francisco Alvarez, who left Tuesday night's game with what the team called a right knee injury. After undergoing further testing on Wednesday, it was announced that the 24-year-old had suffered a tear in his meniscus and will be placed on the 10-day IL.

The Mets have put catcher Francisco Alvarez on the IL with a right meniscus tear

— Pat Ragazzo (@ragazzoreport) May 13, 2026

Alvarez was injured on a swing in the sixth inning in which he planted awkwardly while fouling the pitch off to the back netting. He immediately grabbed at his right knee and hobbled gingerly around the plate before manager Carlos Mendoza and the Mets trainer came out to take a look at the young catcher and remove him from the game.

Alvarez has had horrible injury luck throughout his career and is coming off of a season where he appeared in just 76 games. He has dealt with a wide range of hand injuries with varying degrees of severity including torn UCLs in both hands, a broken pinky, wrist, and hamate bone. Known for his toughness and willingness to play through injuries despite how it may affect his play, Alvarez will have to be sidelined for some time with the news about his knee.

The Mets have recalled catcher Hayden Senger, who was pulled from his minor league game after the injury, to replace Alvarez on the roster. In 22 games for Triple-A Syracuse, Senger is slashing .209/.274/.507 with a career-high six home runs. The 29-year-old made 33 appearances with the big-league club last year and struggled mightily at the plate, posting just a .181/.221/.194 slash line.

Senger is having a bizarre offensive season:

He already has a career-high 6 home runs, but has also struck out 40% of the time. https://t.co/lDaJ05fPwO

— Mike Mayer (@mikemayer22) May 13, 2026

Alvarez will be yet another huge loss for a team that simply can't afford to lose major league talent. He will join Francisco Lindor (calf strain), Jorge Polanco (Achilles tendinitis), and Luis Robert Jr. (lumbar disc herniation) on the Mets' current injured list. As David Stearns alluded to in his presser on Tuesday, the roster features several players with significant injury histories which comes with an obvious risk. Unfortunately, these issues are coming to a head all at once after they have already dug themselves into a hole at 16-25.

Alvarez is now the third Met this season to suffer a torn meniscus, as outfielders Mike Tauchman and Jared Young have both missed time with the injury. Tauchman's came while vying for a starting spot in the outfield at the end of spring training while Young went down in mid-April. The timeline for a meniscus injury can vary on a case-to-case basis. For example, Tauchman is expected to be out until midsummer while Young could be looking at a return in late May or early June.

Regardless, it will be a lengthy absence for the power hitting catcher and a difficult loss to overcome for the Mets. The everyday catching duties will fall on Luis Torrens, who has had a strong defensive season and was just handed a two-year extension on May 2nd.

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