Francisco Alvarez is back in the majors with the Mets after he was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse on Monday, where he put on a personal home run derby for a month in the minor leagues.
The 23-year-old hit 11 home runs in 19 games and a 1.129 OPS after he was demoted on June 22, including another shot on Sunday, which was his seventh round-tripper in the last six games.
“It made me learn a lot,” Alvarez said. “I think the biggest thing for me was that it changed me as a player. I was able to take away a couple of different things to help me improve.”
Back in the majors, Alvarez should reassume his challenge to regain the starting catcher’s role from Luis Torrens, whose bat has been coming around as of late. He entered Monday’s action batting .368 with two RBI in his last six games.
“This was not an easy situation,” manager Caros Mendoza said. “It was kind of like a wake-up call. Like, ‘Hey, you have to go back to the minor leagues.’ For him to go down there and from Day 1, say, ‘What do I need to do?’… It was pretty impressive. We’re all proud of him.”
Alvarez is still the Mets’ franchise catcher of the future until further notice, and his dominant display in the minors was clear that he needs to get consistent MLB at-bats to cement his standing within the organization.
This had been a difficult 2025 for the young backstop, who started the season on the injured list after breaking the hamate bone in his hand. He did not make his season debut until late April, and the production simply never came.
In 35 games, he was batting .236 with a .652 OPS, three home runs, and 11 RBI with a revamped approach at the plate which clearly needed more time to marinate. The Mets will hope that the time in Triple-A did just that, considering the offense has dried up as of late, with three or fewer runs scored in six of their last eight games.
“I had to focus on myself,” Alvarez said. “I think it helps me become a better player, a better person, a better teammate. With me being a better teammate, I’m able to go out there and help the team in a better way.”
An Alvarez who can resemble his 2023 self, in which he slammed 25 home runs, would provide an immeasurable boost to the bottom of New York’s lineup, which has been a black hole for most of a concerning 31-game stretch in which it has gone 11-20.
“I don’t think baseball changes. Baseball is the same,” Alvarez said. “The biggest difference [in the majors] is that there are a lot of fans. In the sense of the game, I don’t think there’s much of a difference.”
