The New York Mets have sent one of their top young players to Triple-A. Catcher Francisco Alvarez, who has struggled at the plate since returning from surgery to treat a broken hamate, has been optioned to the minors, the Mets announced Sunday. Fellow catcher Hayden Senger has been called up in a corresponding move.
Alvarez, 23, hit a home run in Saturday’s win (NYM 11, PHI 4), though it was only his third of the season in 138 plate appearances. He is hitting .236/.319/.333 overall, and he’s struck out in 27.5% of his plate appearances. From 2023-24, Alvarez slashed .222/.294/.422 with 36 home runs in 765 plate appearances. He’s a power hitter and there hasn’t been much power in 2025.
It is not at all uncommon for hitters to struggle following hamate surgery, particularly in the power department. What Alvarez is going through is not unusual for his injury. The last thing the Mets want is Alvarez developing bad habits at the plate that lead to bigger problems down the road. A trip to Triple-A is warranted, if only to allow him to catch his breath after surgery.
There are service time considerations. Alvarez entered 2025 with two years and six days of service time (commonly written as 2.006). If Alvarez spends at least 26 days in the minors, it will push his free agency back from the 2028-29 offseason to the 2029-30 offseason. His minor-league rehab assignment in April does not count toward those 26 days. It has to be an optional assignment.
With Alvarez in Triple-A, the Mets will lean on Luis Torrens as their starter behind the plate. Torrens, 29, is one of the league’s better backup catchers. He’s hitting .232/.309/.344 with strong defensive numbers. Senger, 28, made his MLB debut earlier this season when Alvarez was on the injured list. He is 5 for 28 (.179) hitter at the big-league level.
The Mets hit a franchise record-tying seven home runs in Saturday’s win to snap their seven-game losing streak. They’re tied atop the NL East with the Philadelphia Phillies at 46-31. The two teams will wrap up their three-game weekend series at Citizens Bank Park on Sunday night.
