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Reporter Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post is among the members of the MLB community who have recently mentioned that the New York Mets should strongly consider giving struggling catcher Francisco Alvarez a bit of a reset by sending him down to Triple-A Syracuse.
According to a story written by The Athletic’s Tim Britton that was published on Wednesday night, such discussions have occurred within the Mets organization after Alvarez’s offseason alterations to his swing haven’t produced the desired results.
“In recent weeks,” Britton said, “multiple Mets officials acknowledged there could come a time when it would be better for the catcher to work through those swing changes in the minor leagues. That decision is delicate. The Mets want Alvarez to build confidence, and sending him down for the first time since spring 2023 would necessarily dent that confidence for a time. Right now, the Mets believe Alvarez is still helping the major-league team win, and recent progress has them encouraged about his chances of working through his offensive issues in the majors.”
Last summer, Alvarez’s return to the lineup and to his spot behind the plate after he missed time due to a torn ligament in his left thumb was credited for the Mets turning their season around. However, Alvarez has largely been considered a passenger for the first-place 2025 Mets team that began Thursday with a record of 45-29.
Over his first 33 games of the ongoing campaign, Alvarez slashed .235/.323/.313 with a lackluster .636 OPS, two home runs, 10 RBI and just five extra-base hits. Meanwhile, pockets of analysts and fans are now suggesting that Luis Torrens may be the best option at the position for the Mets until Alvarez re-discovers his slugging form either with the big-league club or during a stint in the minors.
Torrens started New York’s 5-0 defeat at the rival Atlanta Braves on Wednesday. That result extended the Mets’ losing streak to five games.
“We don’t have three or four months for you to figure out your swing,” Mets co-hitting coach Eric Chavez said while speaking about the 23-year-old on Wednesday. “(Alvarez) understands the importance of that and the urgency of that. He understands what we have in Torrens. He’s not oblivious to any of this. We need to start seeing some of those results a lot sooner than later.”
One wonders when that “sooner” needs to be for the Mets to put discussions about sending Alvarez down to bed.
