The New York Mets will be without starting catcher Francisco Alvarez for 6-8 weeks after scans revealed a fractured hamate bone in his left hand that will require surgery.
Manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters on Sunday that Alvarez sustained the injury Saturday during live batting practice. He’s currently scheduled to undergo surgery on Monday.
“It happened (Saturday) during live at-bats,” Mendoza said. “After that second at-bat, (he) felt something, came in, trainer checked him out, sent him for x-rays that showed the fracture.”
The 23-year-old hit .237 with 11 home runs and 47 RBIs across 100 games last season for New York. The Mets will now likely turn to 28 year old Luis Torrens for the time being behind the plate, however a call up or free agent signing is expected to add some depth at this point.
The Mets re-signed Torrens in January to a one-year, $1.5 million contract to back up Alvarez. Across 316 major league games with the San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners, Chicago Cubs, and Mets, Torrens has slashed .227/.289/.356 with 22 home runs and 94 RBIs.
If Alvarez’s 6-8 week timeframe holds, that would put him on track to resume baseball activities by mid-April. He would however then need a ramp-up period and a rehab assignment, making his potential return to the lineup in early May at the earliest.
Photo: D. Benjamin Miller. This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.