The Mets announced on Sunday afternoon that catcher Francisco Alvarez has been optioned to Triple-A Syracuse.
Catcher Hayden Senger has been recalled to take Alvarez's place on the roster.
The 2025 season has been a rough go for Alvarez, beginning with a broken hamate bone in his left hand that kept him out of the lineup until April 25.
Since returning from that injury, Alvarez simply has not looked like himself at the plate, particularly from a power standpoint, slashing .236/.319/.333 with three home runs and 11 RBI in 35 games, splitting time with Luis Torrens.
Defensive struggles have also popped up for Alvarez, who has committed three errors and allowed four passed balls, while also struggling to block some balls in the dirt. Opposing runners have stolen 18 bases in 27 attempts, and Alvarez ranks in the eighth percentile among all catchers at pitch framing and in the 34th percentile in blocks above average, according to Baseball Savant.
Alvarez went 2-for-5 in Saturday's win over the Philadelphia Phillies, including his first home run since June 8, but he also had some defensive issues on balls in the dirt.
The young backstop had a breakout first full season in the big leagues in 2023, mashing 25 home runs while holding his own behind the plate. But a pair of fractures in his left, receiving hand have dampened his power numbers the past two seasons, as he hit just 11 home runs in 100 games last season and now just three home runs in 35 games in 2025.
John Harper recently spoke to scouts and other people around the game about Alvarez's puzzling struggles, with one scout noting that a trip to the minors may be the best thing for him right now.
“I like the way he plays the game. So in one sense I hate to say it, but I think he’s in his own head so much that the Mets need to try something drastic and send him down [to the minors]," the scout told Harper earlier this week. "Give him a chance to figure some things out away from the spotlight."
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