Injured Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez to begin rehab assignment

Mendoza also told reporters that fellow rehabbing Met Jeff McNeil is on track to begin his assignment later this week. Alvarez and McNeil took batting practice on the field ahead of Tuesday's game against the Miami Marlins after their originally scheduled BP was pushed back due to weather concerns.

New York has been without the pair since early March, with McNeil dealing with an oblique injury and Alvarez working back from the aforementioned surgery. Alvarez's 6-8 week timetable put him on track to return in mid-to-late April, but Mendoza's announcement indicates he is ahead of schedule.

The Mets opened the season with Luis Torrens and Hayden Senger filling in behind the plate, but Torrens is now dealing with an injury of his own. Moments before Saturday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays, he was scratched from the lineup for what the team called a right forearm contusion. Torrens did appear late in Saturday's game despite the injury, but hasn't started a game since.

Getting Alvarez back in the lineup should be a boost for a Mets team that has struggled to score runs early. So far, it has been the pitching staff that has carried New York to their 7-3 record, not their bats. But inserting the young slugger Alvarez into the bottom half of the order could be the spark they need, while improving the pitching even further due to his pitch-calling prowess.

At just 23 years old, Alvarez has shown tremendous promise as a hitter. He blasted 25 home runs in his rookie season, but followed that with only 11 in 2024. Before his injury, Mendoza spoke about Alvarez's offseason work and desire to become a "more complete hitter, not just a power hitter." The young catcher spent what he called his "best offseason" at Atlanta’s Maven Baseball Lab, as recommended by J.D. Martinez.

The injury was an unfortunate blow for Alvarez, which he spoke candidly about. "It's not good," he told reporters in March. "I'm working the whole offseason to try to be healthy, and that thing happened. It's hard for my mind. It's hard for me. But I gotta keep going."

Tuesday's news is encouraging for both New York and their young catcher. Alvarez's progress will be worth monitoring as he gets back into action in Port St. Lucie.