New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez is in the lineup and will bat ninth in Tuesday's game against the Boston Red Sox, returning to the lineup after sitting out on Monday. Alvarez is hitting .233/.294/.369 with six homers, 30 RBI, and 28 runs scored in 79 games, but is in the midst of a stretch that has seen him hitting .169/.213/.239 with a homer, three RBI, and nine runs scored over the last 30 days. Daily fantasy managers should avoid him while those in standard formats should look elsewhere for production until Alvarez begins tapping into the potential that once made him an elite prospect.

New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez will get the day off on Sunday as the Mets look to clinch a series victory over the San Diego Padres. As a result, Luis Torrens will be behind the dish and bat in the eight-hole. In his past six games, Alvarez has tallied only one hit, which was a solo shot on August 19. Torrens has held a mere .136/.208/.136 line through eight games this month with no extra-base hits. Torrens will face San Diego southpaw Martin Perez, who has been on a strong run as of late, boasting a 2.17 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP across his past 29 innings. Alvarez should be expected to rejoin the starting lineup on Tuesday evening as the Mets travel to the desert to face the Diamondbacks.

New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez walked it off in Monday's series-opening win over the visiting Baltimore Orioles at Citi Field, blasting a solo home run in the ninth inning to cap off the victory. Alvarez belted a walk-off homer off Orioles right-hander Seranthony Dominguez to center field, securing the Mets' 4-3 win over Baltimore on Monday. The 22-year-old slugging backstop entered the day in a brutal slump, batting .162 (11-for-68) with one long ball over his last 21 games as New York's top catcher, so fantasy managers are hoping Monday's heroics bring on a hot streak for Alvarez.

New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez (shoulder) is back behind the plate and is hitting eighth for the Mets in Wednesday's series finale against the visiting Minnesota Twins and right-hander Pablo Lopez. Left-shoulder soreness kept Alvarez out of the starting lineup for each of the last two games, but it was nothing serious, and he'll return to the bottom of New York's batting order on Wednesday. Alvarez is hitting a career-best .266 (45-for-169) this year, but his power is way down with only five round-trippers after he impressed with 25 long balls in 123 games played in his first full season in the big leagues in 2023. The 22-year-old backstop is also in the midst of a pretty bad slump, as he's gone just 2-for-23 (.087) with a homer, two RBI, two walks and seven strikeouts in seven games since July 20.

New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez (shoulder) has been dealing with a sore left shoulder, according to manager Carlos Mendoza. Alvarez will be available off the bench in Monday's series opener against the visiting Minnesota Twins, but the Mets hope to give him the full day off. Luis Torrens will do the catching for the Mets and will bat eighth against Twins rookie right-hander Simeon Woods Richardson. It sounds like a minor injury for Alvarez, so he could be back in the lineup for Game 2 of the series on Tuesday. Fantasy managers will want to check back then. The 22-year-old backstop has been slumping since the All-Star break, going 3-for-27 (.111) with a homer, two RBI and eight strikeouts in eight games played, so hopefully the day off on Monday can get him going when he returns to action.

New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez is not in the starting lineup for Saturday's contest against the visiting Atlanta Braves. The young backstop hit a solo home run in the third inning of Friday's 8-4 win but will retreat to the bench and give way to Luis Torrens behind the plate on Saturday. The 22-year-old impressed with 25 home runs in his rookie season in 2023 but has been more productive overall in the 2024 campaign. Alvarez is hitting .273 (versus just .209 last season) with five homers and an increased 9.2% BB% across 51 games and 184 trips to the plate. However, fantasy managers may want to be wary of potential regression down the stretch as Alvarez's .287 xwOBA is well below his stellar .344 wOBA on the season.

New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez and veteran infielder Jose Iglesias are getting breathers on Thursday in the series finale against the division-rival Washington Nationals. Luis Torrens is behind the plate and is batting sixth, while Jeff McNeil gets the start at the keystone and will hit ninth against Nationals left-hander MacKenzie Gore. Alvarez missed some time earlier this year due to injury, but he's back now and has some of the most upside among the young catchers in the game. The 22-year-old backstop is hitting .301/.373/.489 on the year with an .862 OPS, four homers and 23 RBI in 133 at-bats. Iglesias started in five of the team's previous six games and has surprisingly gone 24-for-71 (.338) with 14 RBI since joining the Mets. If he continues to swing a hot bat, he should see regular playing time at second base at the expense of the struggling McNeil.UPDATE: Iglesias is under the weather and needed an IV after cramping up after Wednesday's game.

New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez (elbow) is back behind the plate and will hit fifth for the Mets on Sunday against the hosting Pittsburgh Pirates and right-hander Luis L. Ortiz. Alvarez was hit by a pitch on his left elbow in Friday's blowout loss to the Pirates in the series opener and was held out of action on Saturday in the second game of the series. The 22-year-old backstop avoided a serious injury, though, and will return after just one day off. Alvarez has swung a hot bat since returning from the injured list on June 11, batting .338/.413/.600 with three home runs, 15 RBI and eight runs scored, so fantasy managers will want to get him back into their starting lineups everywhere. Alvarez only has four long balls on the season but has some of the most offensive upside of any young catcher in the game. He has hit .292 (35-for-120) on the season.

New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said that catcher Francisco Alvarez (elbow) is fine after being hit by a pitch on his left elbow in Friday's blowout loss to the hosting Pittsburgh Pirates. "We'll see what we got. That was pretty scary there," Mendoza said following the game. Alvarez was in significant pain after taking a 99-mph fastball from Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes off his left elbow on Friday, but he was able to stay in the contest the rest of the way. While it doesn't sound like a significant concern at this time, Alvarez's elbow could swell up overnight and threaten his availability for the remainder of the weekend. It sounds like the 22-year-old slugging backstop is going to be re-evaluated, making his status certainly something to monitor ahead of Saturday's matchup with Pittsburgh. In 134 plate appearances for the Mets this year, Alvarez is slashing a promising .292/.358/.492 with four home runs, 10 doubles, 23 RBI, and one stolen base.

New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez and outfielder Harrison Bader are both out of the lineup on Sunday for the series finale against the visiting Houston Astros. Luis Torrens is doing the catching and is batting eighth, with Brandon Nimmo in center field and hitting out of the two-hole against Astros right-hander Shawn Dubin. Alvarez will get a much-needed day of rest after starting each of the team's last 17 games. The 22-year-old backstop has been raking, too, slashing .471/.558/.822 in that time frame with three home runs and five doubles. Bader will get a day off after going 6-for-20 with two home runs, three doubles and two stolen bases while starting each of the last five games. Ben Gamel also draws into New York's lineup on Sunday in left field while batting seventh.

New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez remained red-hot in Wednesday night's blowout Subway Series win over the crosstown-rival New York Yankees in Queens, whacking his fourth home run of the year. Before sharply lining an RBI double to right field and plating Brandon Nimmo to extend the Mets lead to 4-0 in the fifth inning, Alvarez lifted an opposite-field two-run home run to bring Nimmo around to score and extend New York's lead to 3-0 during the third frame. The hard-hitting 22-year-old backstop is on fire right now, slashing .415/.500/.732 with three bombs, four doubles, and 11 RBI in 41 at-bats since coming off the injured list on June 11. He was one of the top prospects in all of baseball for 2023, and Alvarez is starting to look the part, albeit during limited action overall in 2024.

New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez homered for the second straight game in Saturday's 8-1 loss to the Cubs. The home run accounted for the Mets only run of the ballgame, although Alvarez also doubled and walked in the contest. Alvarez was 2-for-14 (.143) over the first four games off the IL, but since then the 22-year-old is 10-for-19 (.526) over his last five games with two doubles, two home runs, three runs scored, and six RBI. Coming off a 2023 campaign in which he hit 25 home runs, fantasy managers would like to see this power surge keep going. So far he's also lowered his K% from 26.0% to 23.2% and upped his Contact% to 75.3%, so a final BA above last year's .209 seems plausible.

New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez (thumb), who is recovering from surgery on his thumb, will not join the Mets in London this weekend against the division-rival Philadelphia Phillies. However, the Mets are hopeful that Alvarez can return from the 10-day injured list on their ensuing homestand that begins next Tuesday, June 11, against the visiting Miami Marlins. The 22-year-old backstop has been out since April 20 due to a fractured left thumb, but the Mets and fantasy managers are about to get him back soon. When healthy, Alvarez is the Mets' unquestioned starter behind the plate, although they could ease him back into big-league action when he returns next week. So far on his minor-league rehab assignment with Double-A Binghamton, Alvarez has gone 2-for-8 with a homer and two walks. He should not be floating around on any waiver wires with his return imminent.

New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said ahead of Tuesday's game against the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers that catcher Francisco Alvarez (thumb) will begin a minor-league rehab assignment on Thursday with Double-A Binghamton. Alvarez will catch five to seven innings, and it's a great sign that's already good to go to for game action after he had no issues swinging in batting practice amid his recovery from surgery on his left thumb. Alvarez is firmly on track to return to the Mets in late June, or perhaps even a bit earlier if all continues to go well. The 22-year-old former top prospect may have been hitting just .236 (13-for-55) with one home run as New York's primary catcher before getting hurt, but he did have four doubles and one stolen base over 16 games and is worth stashing in all fantasy leagues for his power potential at the catcher position.

New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez (thumb) could be back with the team within the next month and has taken batting practice the last couple of days, consistently hitting balls with exit velocities over 100 mph. Alvarez was wearing a splint and may continue to do so whenever he's activated from the injured list. The Mets may need to be mindful of how they bring Alvarez back, and they also need to be mindful of his positioning behind the plate. The young 22-year-old backstop is eager to frame pitches and steal strikes for his pitchers, but that makes him susceptible to contact on a swing. Alvarez needed surgery on his thumb and was hitting .236 (13-for-55) with a homer and eight RBI in 16 games at the time of his injury in April. Until Alvarez returns, Omar Narvaez and Tomas Nido will continue to split playing time behind the dish for the Metropolitans.

New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez (thumb) is scheduled to take batting practice when the club opens a homestand that begins on Friday, and he has been catching pitches with a splint inside his mitt. Alvarez is progressing well and perhaps ahead of schedule as he recuperates from ligament surgery in his left thumb, and he's still on course for a mid-to-late June return to the Mets. The 22-year-old slugging backstop was hitting just .236 (13-for-55) with one home run as New York's primary catcher before heading to the sidelines, but he did have four doubles and one stolen base over 16 games and is worth stashing in all fantasy leagues for his power upside at the catcher position. As long as Alvarez remains on the shelf, veterans Omar Narvaez and Tomas Nido will continue sharing work in a platoon for at-bats behind the dish.

New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez (thumb) had the stitches removed in his surgically-repaired left thumb on Monday. Alvarez is traveling with the team so he can continue taking part in pregame meetings between pitchers and catchers, but he's still only two weeks into a roughly eight-week rehab process. The 22-year-old former top prospect isn't expected to be available to the Mets until late June, and his .236/.288/.364 triple-slash line with one home run, eight RBI, eight runs scored, and one stolen base over 55 at-bats (16 games) before getting sidelined makes him only a borderline stash in shallow mixed fantasy leagues. Veterans Omar Narvaez and Tomas Nido are filling in behind the plate for the time being, but both backstops are hitting under the Mendoza line and are very low-upside choices in two-catcher setups at the bottom of New York's lineup.

New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez (thumb) underwent surgery to address the injury to the UCL in his left thumb on Tuesday. A typical return to play takes approximately eight weeks, which lines up with the club's original timetable after Alvarez tore a ligament in his left thumb in Friday's win over the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 22-year-old former top prospect should be stashed for fantasy managers who can afford the roster spot in the meantime, considering Alvarez's light-tower power, but he was slashing a lukewarm .236/.288/.364 with one home run, four doubles, eight RBI, and eight runs scored in 59 plate appearances (16 games) before going down. Veteran backstops Omar Narvaez and Tomas Nido will form a platoon for at-bats behind the dish while Alvarez is on the shelf, but neither of the two are even viable in deep two-catcher leagues at the moment.

New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez (thumb) will require surgery after being diagnosed with a torn UCL in his left thumb. Alvarez injured his thumb while running the bases in the second inning of Friday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. A cleared timeframe for his return will be determined after he undergoes surgery. Although the Mets haven't given an official timetable, Alvarez told teammates he expects to miss 6-8 weeks. Before the injury, he was slashing .236/.288/.364 with a homer, eight RBI, eight runs, and a stolen base over 59 plate appearances. Tomas Nido and Omar Narvaez will handle catcher duties while Alvarez is sidelined. Narvaez should see the bulk of the starts, and it is a speculative add in two-catcher formats.

New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez (thumb) has been placed on the 15-day injured list after suffering a thumb injury while running the bases in the top of the second inning against the Dodgers on Friday. His thumb was bent back when he attempted to brace for a fall during the club's 9-4 win and he has been diagnosed with a sprain in his thumb. Mets skipper Carlos Mendoza said after the game that he was "pretty concerned" about Alvarez's injury and that the young backstop was in a lot of pain. A year after slugging 25 homers as a rookie, the 22-year-old is hitting .236 with a homer and a .652 OPS across his first 59 trips to the plate this season. Tomas Nido was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse to take Alvarez's spot on the active roster while left-hander Kolton Ingram was designated for assignment.