After seeing starting pitchers Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas go down with injuries just days into spring training, the New York Mets received some bad news on the offensive side.
On Sunday, it was announced that emerging young catcher Francisco Alvarez would need surgery to repair a fractured left hamate bone. The injury is expected to sideline him for six to eight weeks and could be an even longer recovery given that the fracture occurred on the catcher’s receiving hand.
The injury is a tough blow for both the Mets and Alvarez, who was hoping for a healthy year after missing two months with a torn thumb ligament in 2024. His absence will force backup Luis Torrens to step into a larger role. The 29-year-old journeyman performed admirably in 45 games last year, turning in an acceptable .665 OPS and receiving high marks with his framing and throwing.
Though Torrens is a very good backup catcher, he is likely stretched in an everyday role, especially for a team with championship aspirations like the Mets. At the minor league level, the club has a pair of promising defenders in Jakson Reetz and Hayden Senger, but neither has produced offensively at Triple-A and would likely be overmatched at the big-league level. With so much uncertainty, it makes sense why The Athletic’s Will Sammon believes the Mets will consider external additions.
“The Mets will likely lean on Torrens as much as they can. Jakson Reetz is my guess if they stick internally, but the Mets also viewed Hayden Senger as one of the best defensive catchers in Triple-A last year,” wrote Sammon. “We’ll see who becomes available in a couple of weeks. There are a handful of veterans with opt-outs elsewhere. The Mets are exploring options.”
Of the catchers who signed minor league deals elsewhere this winter, Curt Casali, Tucker Barnhart, Martín Maldonado, Reese McGuire and former Met Tomás Nido each offer Major League Baseball experience, albeit with little-to-no offensive upside. The Mets’ best bet may be signing free agent Yasmani Grandal, who posted a .704 OPS and elite framing metrics with the Pittsburgh Pirates last season, or a reunion with James McCann, who homered eight times while backing up Adley Rutschman on the Baltimore Orioles in 2024.
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