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Mets surprisingly send former top prospect to minors

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated Jun 22, 2025 5:17 PM ET

The New York Mets made the surprising decision Sunday to send one of their regular starters to the minor leagues.

The Mets on Sunday sent catcher Francisco Alvarez to Triple-A Syracuse and called up Hayden Senger to replace him. Alvarez had been the Mets’ starting catcher since the 2023 season.

#Mets roster moves:

Catcher Francisco Alvarez has been optioned to Triple-A Syracuse.

Catcher Hayden Senger has been recalled from Triple-A Syracuse.

Necessary move.
— Michael Baron (@michaelgbaron) June 22, 2025

The decision to demote Alvarez comes just one day after he hit his third home run of the season in a win over the Philadelphia Phillies. However, that has not been the norm, as he is hitting just .236 with a .333 slugging percentage on the season.

More pressing, his defense has not been great, and his pitch framing numbers have regressed. That, combined with his poor hitting, meant the Mets felt they had no choice but to let the 23-year-old head back to the minors and find himself.

Alvarez has spent the last few seasons as a key part of the team’s lineup and an off-field tone-setter. He was regarded as one of the top prospects in all of baseball before the 2023 season, but has yet to fulfill those expectations. He is still young enough that it is not too late, but the regression has been concerning.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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