Sunday’s game against the Mariners took an unfortunate turn for Mets’ catcher Francisco Alvarez. In the seventh inning, he was forced to exit after injuring his right thumb on a head-first slide into the second base. Following an MRI on Monday, Alvarez was diagnosed with sprained UCL, a condition which typically requires surgery. Simultaneously, he placed on a 10-day IL. However, if you ask manager Carlos Mendoza, The Troll’s season isn’t necessarily over.

Before Mets faced the Nationals on Tuesday, Mendoza was asked to comment on the severity of Alvarez’s injury. “Obviously, he got a UCL, ligament injury. He needs surgery, obviously,” he began. “But right now talking to multiple doctors, they plan to give him 10 to 14 days to calm down the inflammation and see where he is at after that, as far as like, ripping that that if he is going to be able to able to swing.”

“There is players in in the past, they can play through this. You know in that what we are giving a chance. He goes and have surgery right now. He is going to be out for a season anyway, so you know he wants to give it a try. We are hopeful for that you know he can play through this, but we just got a wait and see,” he concluded. However, the bigger question is: can he make it, given his history with injuries?

For Alvarez, hand injuries have unfortunately become a recurring issue throughout his young career. The current injury to his right thumb marks the third significant hand problem he has faced over the past two years:

• 2024: Alvarez missed nearly two months after undergoing surgery to repair a sprained ligament in his left thumb.
• 2025 Spring: He suffered a fractured left hamate bone, which required another surgery and caused him to miss the first month of the regular season.

This means if he goes through surgery for a third time, his 2025 season will be over as postseason begins in 5 weeks from now. Moreover, Mendoza stated that even if Francisco Alvarez is medically cleared to return to action within the next 10-14 days, he would still require a minor league rehab assignment before rejoining the major league club.

“Hopefully he gets to play down at Triple-A and he’s a player for us at some point before the season is over,” Mendoza added. The manager, however, declined to speculate on a best-case scenario or a specific timeline for the catcher’s return.

Well, now that he is on IL, the question looms: who will Carlos Mendoza be looking for?

With Alvarez on the IL, the Mets rely on Torrens & Senger to plug the gap

Due to Alvarez being sidelined, the Mets have recalled catcher Hayden Senger from Triple-A Syracuse. This is his third major league stint this season. After playing in 21 games this season, Senger is struggling at the major league level, with a slash line of .174/.208/.196. His performance in the minors is only marginally better, where he is hitting .221/.274/.344.

Meanwhile, Luis Torrens will take over as the starting catcher. This season, Luis Torrens is currently slashing .214/.280/.301 with a .581 OPS, but he was a key contributor for the Mets when Alvarez was on the injured list earlier in the year.

During March and April, Torrens was solid, batting .258 with a home run and 10 RBIs in 22 games. His performance was even better in games where he split time with Alvarez, as he hit .300 across 12 games. However, his offense has since dropped off significantly, as he has struggled over the last three months, batting just .135, .200, and .167 in May, June, and July, respectively.

And he’s aware of the impact Alvy has on the Mets’ lineup and is aiming to fill his shoes. As he said, “[Alvarez] has been playing really well and he’s a big guy for us. Hopefully he can come back soon. I will just try to do my best.” Timing is everything for the Mets right now. Will Alvarez be back in time for the big games?