QUEENS, NY — David Stearns has worked 10 years as a Major League Baseball executive. He’s seen the different ways players respond to being sent down in the middle of the season.
“I’ve seen players sulk and ask, ‘Why is this happening? Why me?’” the New York Mets’ president of baseball operations said before his club’s 7-5 comeback win over the Los Angeles Angels on Monday night at Citi Field. “And then I’ve seen players turn the corner and look to get back and look to work and look to work with the instructors in a less pressurized environment.”
The latter scenario is exactly what Francisco Alvarez, the Mets’ 23-year-old catcher, did in his 19-game Triple-A stint, which ended Monday with his return to the major leagues for New York’s series opener against the Angels.
Alvarez comes up clutch in first game back
Alvarez was instrumental in the Mets’ comeback. He was initially tasked with catching Kodai Senga in his first game back from Triple-A. He batted eighth, between Brett Baty and Luisangel Acuña.
In the bottom of the eighth, the score tied at five, Alvarez hit a 96 mph fastball deep to right-center, but with some top spin. He thought the Angels’ right fielder, Chris Taylor, was going to catch it.
The ball hit the fence. Brett Baty advanced to third. Next, Ronny Mauricio, pinch-hitting for Acuña, reached on a fielder’s choice, scoring Baty and the winning run. Alvarez had come through.
Francisco Alvarez hits a long double off the wall! pic.twitter.com/RkilSuuNbL
— SNY (@SNYtv) July 22, 2025
Alvarez’s ability to hit the ball hard to all parts of the field makes him a threat at the plate. This was what had been missing from his game.
“I just wish I could have scored for him on that double,” Baty said. “For him to come through in that spot tonight was amazing. He lives for the big moment.”
Alvarez scored on a Brandon Nimmo sacrifice fly to give New York its seventh run on a night in which he was welcomed back with a standing ovation by the Citi Field crowd in the bottom of the second inning ahead of his first plate appearance — much to his surprise.
He walked twice — in the bottom of the fourth, and again to lead off the bottom of the seventh. He scored when Francisco Lindor reached on a force out.
In the top of the seventh, Alvarez gunned down Angels shortstop Zach Neto as he tried to steal second base. Later in the inning, he tagged out Mike Trout, who attempted to extend the Angels’ lead to 6–2 as Jo Adell reached on a fielder’s choice.
Hitter’s note: Don’t run on Alvarez. His 34.5% caught stealing rate is the third-best in MLB.
Alvarez’s strong play on both sides of the ball felt good. Helping the Mets, who need to continue compiling wins after a 10–20 stretch, was the sweetener.
“Had we lost this game,” Alvarez said through translator Alan Suriel, “And I would have hit that double, and I would have thrown out the runner; it wouldn’t have felt the same. We’re here for the reason of winning.”
Alvarez’s confidence is back. The Mets’ manager, Carlos Mendoza, could see it in the box. His catcher was in control of his bat.
“Watching him the whole game,” said Mendoza, “The takes, couple of walks, and then for him to drive the ball like that against a righty, that’s a really good sign, kind of like what we’ve been seeing the past two weeks or so.”
‘Handled it like a pro’: Inside Alvarez’s Triple-A stint
Alvarez was sent down on June 22 amid struggles at the plate, stretching back to last season. Alvarez hit 25 home runs in 2023, his first season in the Major Leagues. Last year, his home run total dropped to 11. He had a .237 average and a .710 OPS.
This season, Alvarez broke a hamate bone in his left wrist in spring training when he was trying to revamp his approach at the plate. In his first 35 games, he was batting .236 with a .652 OPS. He had just three home runs and 11 RBI.
Stearns explained that when a player experiences a stretch of poor results at the major league level, he can start to spiral. Defensively, Alvarez is a very natural, athletic catcher. The Mets wanted him to get back to the fundamentals.
Players normally have 72 hours to report to Triple-A. Stearns was prepared to give his catcher an extra couple of days.
Alvarez showed up immediately. He got to work.
“He worked extremely hard,” Stearns said. “I think he understood and recognized that the way he was performing at the Major League level, on both sides of the ball, was not who he was.”
Alvarez raked in Triple-A. In the 19 games he played with Syracuse, he hit 11 home runs. Seven of these came in his last six games, where he hit .476 with 10 runs, two doubles, and 15 RBI while posting a 2.164 OPS.
He worked on all aspects of his game. Both Stearns and Mendoza praised his blocking improvements.
“That’s part of what big league players go through at times,” Mendoza said. “You’re going to face challenges and there’s going to be adversity, whether it’s at this level or in the Minor Leagues, and he handled it like a pro.”
For Alvarez, his priority now shifts to sticking in the majors. It’s important, he said, that he stays with the Mets. He doesn’t want to get sent down again.
“When you stumble on a rock, you don’t want to stumble there again,” Alvarez said. “So it’s just, continue to move forward and avoid that rock, so you don’t stumble again.”
