New York Mets to get key slugger back from the IL

Alvarez last played in a game for New York on August 17 against the Seattle Mariners in Williamsport during the Little League Classic; the 23-year-old suffered a UCL sprain in his right thumb sliding headfirst into second base while legging out a hustle double. He was placed on the IL the next day.

Despite needing surgery on his thumb, Alvarez opted to wait until the offseason to have surgery and try to play through the pain. And after being seen taking batting practice at Citi Field a week after his injury, the slugger commenced a rehab assignment with Triple-A Syracuse to try to make an unprecedentedly quick return to New York's lineup.

Alvarez, however, would suffer a setback during his rehab when he exited his rehab game with Syracuse on August 27 after being hit by a pitch on his left pinky. He would later be diagnosed with a fractured left pinky. Despite these injuries, Alvarez continued his rehab in Triple-A and will now return to the Mets this weekend as they continue their playoff push.

It has been a frustrating and injury-riddled season for Alvarez in 2025, which saw him miss nearly the first month of the regular season after suffering a fractured hamate bone during spring training. After making his season debut on April 25 against the Washington Nationals, Alvarez struggled mightily at the plate and behind it, resulting in the Amazins' optioning the backstop to Triple-A on June 22.

He would end up raking in 19 games for Syracuse, batting .299 with 11 home runs, which led to the Mets recalling Alvarez on July 21. That success in the minor leagues would continue in the big leagues, as Alvarez has slashed .293/.388/.603 in 21 games since returning. He was especially hot at the plate in the seven games he played before going down with the thumb injury, going 9-for-21 (.429) with three home runs and nine RBI.

Alvarez will now rejoin a Mets lineup that has been one of the league's best since the middle of August. In 56 games this season, he is batting .265/.349/.438 with seven long balls, 24 RBI and a .787 OPS.