Why Francisco Álvarez is out of the Mets’ lineup

Álvarez is no stranger to playing through pain. In mid-August, he sprained the ulnar collateral ligament in his right thumb — an injury that will require surgery at season’s end but only sidelined him for 10 days. He also fractured his left pinky after getting plunked during his first rehab game and returned to the lineup a few days later.

Since being activated on Sept. 5, Álvarez has hit .240/.321/.540 (.861 OPS) with three doubles, four home runs, and eight RBIs over 17 games. The righty slugger vaulted the Mets back into the third NL wild card spot with a tiebreaking two-run blast in the eighth inning of Tuesday night’s 9-7 victory over the Cubs and homered again Wednesday.

Across 73 total games this season, Álvarez has slashed .260/.343/.460 (.803 OPS) with 11 home runs and 32 RBIs. He missed the beginning of the regular season due to a fractured hamate bone in his left hand and later went down to Triple-A in June for a mechanical reset, where he remained for nearly a month.

Since the Cincinnati Reds defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday afternoon, the Mets need a win to remain in control of their postseason destiny. They will aim to do so with Torrens catching rookie right-hander Nolan McLean, who has delivered at least five innings in each of his first seven MLB starts, posting a 1.27 ERA in the process.

Read More: New York Mets failed offseason acquisition designated for assignment

Torrens, 29, entered Thursday with a .225/.285/.348 (.632 OPS) slash line, five home runs, and 29 RBIs over 90 games. He ranks in the 100th percentile for caught stealing above average and the 82nd percentile for framing this season, according to Statcast.

After Thursday’s game, the Mets will close out the regular season with three road games against the Marlins, who have already been eliminated from postseason contention. The Reds will also play on the road in a three-game set against the Milwaukee Brewers, who own the best record in MLB.