Francisco Alvarez #4 of the New York Mets reacts after walking. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez underwent thumb surgery on April 23 and expects to return in July, Daniel Alvarez of El Extrase reported.
Alvarez landed on the 15-day injured list with a left thumb strain on April 20. Catcher Omar Narvaez will be the starting catcher for the Mets until Alvarez is cleared to come back.
The organization has not yet announced if Alvarez will be placed on the 60-day injured list.
Alvarez, 22, was born in Guatire, Venezuela, and made his MLB debut on September 30, 2022, on the road against the Atlanta Braves for the blue and orange.
Alvarez played in 16 games with the Mets before landing on the 15-day injured list and batted .236 with 59 plate appearances, smacking 13 hits, four doubles, one home run, eight RBI, four walks, and 14 strikeouts.
He caught 113 innings in 2024, had 125 chances, 121 putouts, three assists, one error, a .922 fielding percentage, one pass ball, and 10 runners stole against him.
In spring training, Alvarez played in 17 games and batted .205 with 50 plate appearances, ripping nine hits, three doubles, three home runs, nine RBI, six walks, and 16 strikeouts.
Last season, Alvarez played 123 games for the Mets and hit .209 with 423 plate appearances, recording 80 hits, 12 doubles, 25 home runs, 63 RBI, 34 walks, 110 strikeouts, and a .721 OPS.
Alvarez caught 873.2 innings in the 2023 season and appeared in 108 games with 100 starts and had 926 chances, 870 putouts, 43 assists, 13 errors, three double plays, a .986 fielding percentage, eight pass balls, and threw out 15 out of 99 runners on the base paths.
During his three seasons in MLB, Alvarez has played in 144 games with 496 plate appearances and has a lifetime average of .212 with 95 hits, 17 doubles, 27 home runs, 72 RBI, 40 walks, 128 strikeouts, and a .714 OPS.