The New York Mets went three straight weeks without winning series before finally breaking through against the Seattle Mariners this past weekend. Francisco Alvarez led the way in Sunday's finale, starting the scoring with an RBI-double as the Mets won 7-3. The catcher went 3-for-4, scored twice, but we're talking about the Mets, so you know that the good vibes wouldn't last too long.
Alvarez's second double against the Mariners on Sunday night happened in the seventh inning and that's when the Mets' slugger injured his thumb, sliding into the bag ahead of the tag from J.P. Crawford. The 23-year-old was replaced in the bottom half of the inning and the injury update for Alvarez is yet another gut punch to the Mets.
Starling Marte, Ronny Mauricio and Francisco Lindor joined in on Brandon Nimmo’s interview.
— Mets'd Up Podcast (@MetsdUp) August 18, 2025
Brandon Nimmo then reacted to Francisco Álvarez’s double: pic.twitter.com/BGxeOEqdl7
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Francisco Alvarez back on the Mets injured list
Mets' fans have been waiting since Sunday for an update and the news is certainly not what they would have wished for as Joel Sherman reported Tuesday morning that Alvarez is going to be placed on the injured list with an injury to his right thumb.
Source: The Mets are going to be without their starting catcher. Francisco Alvarez is going to be placed on the IL with his right thumb injury.
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) August 19, 2025
The 23-year-old catcher has missed significant time with hand injuries in the past. In 2024, Alvarez was out for nearly two months after suffering a left thumb sprain. Earlier this year Alvarez had a fractured left hamate bone during spring training that sidelined him for the first month of the regular season.
It's a major blow for the Mets as Alvarez has been red-hot at the plate since he was called back up from Triple-A following the All-Star break. Dating back to July 21, Alvarez has a slash line of .323/.408/.645, with four home runs and 11 total extra bases in only 71 plate appearances. His 193 wRC+ during the past three weeks ranks ninth best among all MLB hitters and now the Mets are left wondering if Alvarez will even be back before the regular season comes to a close.
How will the Mets replace Francisco Alvarez?
New York is now left with 29-year-old veteran Luis Torrens as their primary catcher. The drop off in offensive production is quite stark from Alvarez.
- Francisco Alvarez: .265/.349/.438, 7 HR, 126 wRC+ in 209 plate appearances
- Luis Torrens: .214/.280/.301, 2 HR, 68 wRC+ in 225 plate appearances
Hayden Senger, a 24th round pick of the Mets in 2018, made his MLB debut with the team this year, making the Opening Day roster as he filled in for Alvarez out of spring training. Senger slashed .179/.207/.214, in his first 28 at-bats in the majors and he didn't do much at the plate when Alvarez was demoted to Triple-A in June either as the long-time minor league went 3-for-18, in his second look at MLB pitching.
At this point it would seem likely that the Mets will look outside of the organization to bring in another option behind the plate with the expected absence of Alvarez.