Francisco Alvarez Setback, Who Will Step in from the Minor League?
Tragedy struck for the New York Mets as they look to open the 2025 season with catcher Francisco Alvarez on the injured list with a broken hamate bone on the left hand, an injury received during batting practice the previous weekend. Big déjà vu for the Mets catcher who missed nearly eight weeks last season from surgery but still managed to hit 11 home runs in 100 games. A devastating hit to the New York Mets as they were coming off the offseason as World Series contenders, as Alvarez is to create a nightmare of a pair with Pete Alonso, Mark Vientos, and Juan Soto in the middle of the order. The former top prospect is expected to miss six to eight weeks, keeping him on the injured list until at least April. Of course, this would mean a rehab assignment is in order, leaving fans to wait most likely until May to see the young catcher return. New York's backup catcher Luis Torrens is expected to start at catcher in the loss of Alvarez, leaving a few candidates in Port St. Lucie, Florida, to step in as a backup, but who?
As of right now, the Mets currently have four options who have the chance to step in and make a big impression. First off, there’s the 27-year-old Chris Williams, from the Minnesota Twins before signing with the Mets as a free agent. Next, they have Hayden Senger, also 27, who’s been in the system since drafted in 2018. Third, we have Kevin Parada, the 23-year-old first-round pick in the 2022 draft. Lastly, Jakson Reetz, age 29, has a few MLB games on his resume. One of these four players not present in the roster has just a few more weeks to show who wants it more.
As March 27th approaches, the New York Mets have certainly not had it easy, setbacks of all sorts have come up. Before the Alvarez setback, New York had seen key rotation members suffer the same predicament. Key members like Frankie Montas, Sean Manaea, and Nick Madrigal are all expected to miss some time. With many injuries such as this, it no doubt leaves fans eager to know how exactly this Mets roster will look on opening day. Seventeen days remain until opening day at Daikin Park in Houston, let’s see who has what it takes to step up.
