Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Recovered from heel injury
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Alvarez (heel) felt better Monday and the Mets are unconcerned about the catcher's health going into the offseason, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.
Alvarez had to exit Sunday's regular-season finale after taking a ball off his heel, but it appears that it will be a non-issue heading into the winter. Although he faded after the All-Star break, Alvarez still finished with 25 home runs in his rookie season, which ranked second only to Cal Raleigh among catchers.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Gets afternoon off
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Alvarez will sit for the first half of Saturday's doubleheader against the Phillies, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
Alvarez won't be asked to start twice in one day but could still get one or two more starts in before the end of the year. After hitting .238/.295/.514 in the first half, he's managed just a .168/.263/.305 line since the break, though his overall 93 wRC+ and 23 homers makes for a more than adequate performance from a 21-year-old catcher. Omar Narvaez will crouch behind the plate Saturday afternoon.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Starting at catcher Tuesday
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Alvarez (finger) is starting at catcher and batting seventh Tuesday versus Miami.
Alvarez made an early exit from Sunday's series finale at Philadelphia because of a bruised finger on his left hand, but it was never a serious concern. He's gone hitless over his last six games and will try to snap that streak Tuesday against the Marlins and left-hander Braxton Garrett.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Dealing with bruised finger
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Mets manager Buck Showalter said after Sunday's 5-2 loss to the Phillies that Alvarez is dealing with a finger contusion after being hit on the left hand by two foul tips, Dan Gelston of the Associated Press reports.
The injury doesn't sound like anything that will result in Alvarez being shut down for the final week of the season, but it could provide further reason to continue to limit the young backstop's workload. Alvarez had already been splitting reps behind the plate with Omar Narvaez throughout September, so Showalter could lean more heavily on Narvaez as the team's No. 1 catcher for the final six contests. After going 0-for-2 prior to his departure Sunday, Alvarez is now hitless in 13 at-bats over his last six games, dropping his season-long batting average to .211.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Remains on bench
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Alvarez will sit for the second straight game Saturday against the Phillies.
One would expect a 71-83 team to maximize at-bats for its 21-year-old catcher of the future down the stretch, but it's instead been 31-year-old impending free agent Omar Narvaez to start three of the last four games behind the plate. Perhaps the Mets simply don't want to tax Alvarez's knees too much at the end of a long season. The rookie's .213/.286/.433 season slash line is good for a 97 wRC+, a perfectly acceptable mark for a catcher, but he's managed just a .171/.269/.291 line (60 wRC+) since the start of August, which suggests he could use a break.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Sitting Monday
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Alvarez is out of the lineup for Monday's game in Miami.
Alvarez appears to be receiving a routine day off after he started behind the dish in the final two games of the Mets' weekend series with the Reds while going 3-for-10 with two doubles and three RBI. Omar Narvaez will get the starting nod at catcher Monday.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Day off Friday
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Alvarez isn't in the Mets' lineup Friday against Cincinnati, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
Alvarez will get a day off Friday despite collecting a hit in each of his last three games -- including a home run Tuesday. Omar Narvaez will start behind the plate and bat ninth while Alvarez sits.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Not in lineup Wednesday
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Alvarez is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Diamondbacks.
Omar Narvaez will start at catcher and bat ninth. Alvarez recorded his 23rd home run and second stolen base of the year in the Mets' defeat of the D-backs on Tuesday.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Not in Monday's lineup
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Alvarez (hand) is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the Diamondbacks, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
Alvarez had to be removed from Sunday's win over the Twins after being hit on the hand by a pitch. X-rays came back negative and he's considered day-to-day, but the young catcher will miss at least one start. Omar Narvaez is behind the dish Monday, though manager Buck Showalter said that while Alvarez is still sore, the 21-year-old could be available in a pinch-hitting capacity, per Laura Albanese of Newsday.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Managing hand issue
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Alvarez underwent an X-ray on his hand that came back negative following Sunday's win over the Twins, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.
Alvarez was removed from Sunday's matchup in the bottom of the seventh inning after going 1-for-1 while also being hit by a pitch. He's dealing with a hand injury but doesn't appear to be dealing with structural damage. The 21-year-old should tentatively be considered day-to-day ahead of Monday's series opener against the Diamondbacks.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Sitting Saturday
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Alvarez isn't in the Mets' lineup Saturday against the Twins.
Alvarez will take a seat Saturday after going 0-for-3 with a walk and a run scored in Friday's series opener. Omar Narvaez will take over behind the plate and bat ninth.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Not starting Saturday
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Alvarez isn't in the Mets' lineup Saturday against Seattle.
Alvarez will get a breather after going 2-for-13 with an RBI across his last five games. Omar Narvaez will take his place behind the dish and bat eighth.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Absent from lineup again
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Alvarez is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game versus the Rangers.
Alvarez has now started just two of the last five games and five of the last 10 contests. The young catcher might be tiring, as he comes into action Wednesday with a .459 OPS in August. Omar Narvaez will handle the catching duties in Wednesday's series finale.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Sitting out series opener
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Alvarez is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Rangers, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.
Alvarez will sit for the second time in three days while the Mets remain conscious of managing the 22-year-old's catching workload as the season winds down. Omar Narvaez will get another turn behind the plate and could end up working in a roughly even timeshare with Alvarez in the final month of the campaign.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Takes seat Saturday
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Alvarez isn't in the Mets' lineup Saturday against the Angels.
Alvarez is 0-for-10 with five strikeouts across his last three starts, so he'll take a game off to regroup Saturday. Omar Narvaez will fill in behind the plate and bat seventh.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Sitting for second straight
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Alvarez is out of the lineup for Monday's game against Atlanta, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
Alvarez is on the bench for the second game in a row, but the Mets haven't suggested that the young backstop is dealing with an injury. Instead, Alvarez's consecutive absences are likely part of a predetermined management plan, as manager Buck Showalter acknowledged over the weekend that the Mets intend to keep a close eye on the 21-year-old's workload heading into the final month of the season, per James O'Connell of the New York Daily News. Alvarez is still expected to remain the Mets' nominal No. 1 catcher down the stretch, though veteran Omar Narvaez could end up cracking the lineup more frequently than he has been for most of the season.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Resting Sunday
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Alvarez isn't in the Mets' lineup Sunday against Atlanta.
Alvarez is 1-for-8 with a double during New York's current series against Atlanta, and he'll take a seat for Sunday's finale. Omar Narvaez will take over behind the plate and bat sixth.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Receives Sunday off
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Alvarez is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Orioles.
Alvarez started the first two games of the series in Baltimore but will take a seat for the finale after going 0-for-6 with a walk. Omar Narvaez will step in behind the plate to catch for Jose Quintana.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Rest day Thursday
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Alvarez is not in the lineup Thursday at Kansas City.
Omar Narvaez will start behind the plate and bat seventh for the visiting Mets as Alvarez grabs a bit of rest. The 21-year--old catcher boasts a .997 OPS with nine home runs and 18 RBI in 22 games (86 plate appearances) since the beginning of July.
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Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Gets Sunday off
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Alvarez is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Nationals.
After starting behind the dish the last two days and smacking his 20th home run of the season in Saturday's 11-6 loss, Alvarez will get a breather in the series finale. Omar Narvaez will check into the lineup Sunday as the Mets' starting catcher.
