Injuries continue to pile up for the New York Mets. To add insult to injury, New York carries the worst record in Major League Baseball entering play on May 12 at 15-25.
The club took another injury hit in their game against the Detroit Tigers. Francisco Alvarez fouled a pitch off in the sixth and appeared to tweak something in his right knee. After limping around home plate, trainers came out to check on him, and the Mets catcher exited the game.
Alvarez was immediately replaced by backup catcher Luis Torrens, who finished the plate appearance with a walk. The Mets later rallied to score three more runs in the frame to stretch their lead over the Tigers to four.
The club later announced that Alvarez suffered a right knee injury and will undergo imaging.
Francisco Alvarez Becomes the Latest Mets Hitter to Go Down With Injury
If Alvarez requires a stint on the injured list, he’d be the fourth hitter in New York’s Opening Day lineup to miss time. The club was already without shortstop Francisco Lindor, center fielder Luis Robert Jr., and first baseman Jorge Polanco going into this game against the Detroit Tigers.
If Alvarez is down for at least the minimum 10 days, the Mets have some depth in their system at catcher. Hayden Senger, the only other catcher on their 40-man roster, is the obvious candidate to bring up in that scenario. Senger was subsequently pulled from his game with Triple-A Syracuse, as the club mulls a roster move.
With four hitters missing from their lineup, that has severely tested the Mets’ organizational depth. A.J. Ewing, one of the top prospects in the organization, was promoted as a result of the outfield injuries. Ewing walked three times and recorded his first MLB hit in his debut.
Mets Injury Updates
The Alvarez injury comes after DiComo reported all the updates on Lindor, Robert, and Polanco. The central theme of these updates is that the Mets are in a holding pattern with regard to what the next steps will be for their injured hitters.
Lindor is dealing with a right calf strain, an injury that has a high chance of reaggravation if not healed properly. The Mets shortstop is no longer in a walking boot and is set for a follow-up MRI this week.
Polanco has been out since the middle of April with both a right wrist contusion and left Achilles bursitis. The wrist problem has mostly resolved itself, but the Mets want the ankle to be completely asymptomatic before starting a return to play protocol. Polanco took part in batting practice with the team.
The latest update on Robert is certainly concerning, as the injured outfielder is not progressing from a back injury as the team had hoped. The Mets center fielder has been down since April 30 with a herniated disk in his lumbar spine. With no progress, the club may consult with outside specialists.
Mets’ Francisco Alvarez Exits After Awkward Swing Injury