The New York Mets have had to fare without standout catcher Francisco Alvarez since July 28, but fortunately got him back on Wednesday as they lost to the Minnesota Twins 8-3, failing to sweep their three-game season series.
The Mets went 2-0 without Alvarez in the lineup. They came away with a statement 15-2 win over the Twins on Monday and a second triumph over the American League ball club with a 2-0 victory in their penultimate game. The Mets were fortunate to pick up those key wins with him on the pine, but they’ll need Alvarez healthy to ensure they stay entrenched in the playoff race going forward.
Mets took a cautious approach with C Francisco Alvarez amid his shoulder injury
Per Zach Braziller of the New York Post, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza had this to say about how he was handling Alvarez’s situation while he was out with the shoulder infirmity:
“Just want to monitor his workload here,” Mendoza said. “If I need him during the game he’ll be available. But if we stay away from him it would benefit him, not swinging the bat or doing any physical activity.”
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Mets: Alvarez avoids IL stint for now
Seeing that the Venezuelan infielder took the field on Wednesday and bore a full workload with one RBI in four plate appearances, it does not look like he will need to spend time on the injured list. However, given Mendoza’s comments, it appears that New York will keep close tabs on their valued infielder to prevent exacerbating his ailment.
The third-year talent is currently slashing a stout .266/.335/.438 with a .773 OPS. He has 26 RBIs on the campaign and has been a pillar behind home plate, sporting a .990 fielding percentage thanks to his 402 putouts and 15 assists to only four errors. The Mets will need the 22-year-old healthy and able to try and pull off a storied playoff run this fall.
