Francisco Alvarez Exits Mets' Spring Training Game Early

Despite being scheduled to catch nine innings, Francisco Alvarez departed the Mets' spring training game early on Thursday due to back tightness.

Feb 17, 2026; Port St. Lucie, FL, USA; New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez (4) waits to catch batting practice during the New York Mets spring training workouts at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images | Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images

The New York Mets' run of good health luck this spring appears to be over. Catcher Francisco Alvarez, who was scheduled to catch all nine innings of the Mets' exhibition game on Thursday night, was lifted for a pinch hitter in the fourth inning after receiving just one at-bat.

Francisco Alvarez was removed from tonight's game in the top of the fourth inning. Jose Aular entered in his spot as a pinch hitter.

On the Mets' lineup card this morning, Alvarez was scheduled to play all nine innings tonight.

Alvarez struck out swinging in his first AB. He…

— Max Goodman (@MaxTGoodman) March 19, 2026

Jose Aular pinch hit for Alvarez, who did not appear to suffer any visible injury during his three innings of work. The Mets did not immediately disclose what was wrong with Alvarez, leading to some angst amongst the fan base on social media.

Jose Aular pinch-hits for Francisco Alvarez and draws a bases-loaded walk to make it 3-0 Mets pic.twitter.com/LQVBdcnMRA

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) March 19, 2026

An update surfaced just over two hours after Alvarez exited the game. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said the decision to pull Alvarez was precautionary after he reported back tightness.

Francisco Alvarez left the game early for precautionary reasons with back tightness. Carlos Mendoza says he would have continued playing if it was the regular season. Alvarez will be evaluated tomorrow.

— Mike Puma (@NYPost_Mets) March 20, 2026

Mendoza elaborated that Alvarez would have kept playing if this was a regular season game. There was no reason to force the issue in an exhibition game for Alvarez, who will undergo further evaluation tomorrow.

Mets' Catching Depth Behind Francisco Alvarez Is Suspect

It sounds like the Mets dodged a bullet with Alvarez, who has dealt with various injuries through the years. Luis Torrens is already on the roster as the backup catcher and can start in a pinch, but he is known more for his defensive ability than his bat.

There are two other catchers on the Mets' 40-man roster: Hayden Senger and Ben Rortvedt. Senger served as a backup for Torrens during stretches of last season while Alvarez was out, while Rortvedt was added in the offseason.

The full story will become clear after Alvarez is checked out in the morning since a back injury isn't a fun one for a catcher to deal with. Back tightness can be exacerbated with the constant squatting a catcher has to do for his defensive responsibilities, so if exams flag anything wrong it could lead the Mets to sit him for the remainder of spring training.

It has become difficult to dispute that Alvarez is prone to injuries, including various hand ailments and a broken thumb suffered during a slide. Those injuries have cost Alvarez valuable time to grow as a big leaguer, making the fact that he has suffered another ailment right before the season a red flag.

The best version of the 2026 Mets need Alvarez behind the plate for at least 120 games since he is such an offensive upgrade over Torrens. The hope for Mendoza is that tonight's back tightness is just temporary, but they won't know for sure until some point tomorrow.

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