The New York Mets have their starting catcher back as they activated Francisco Alvarez off the 10-day injured list on Tuesday.
In a corresponding move, they designated veteran catcher Tomas Nido for assignment.
Alvarez had been shelved since April 19 after suffering a torn ligament in his left thumb after slipping while running the bases. The injury required surgery and the 22-year-old subsequently rehabbed with the Mets’ High-A affiliate in Brooklyn.
In 16 games amidst a slow start to the 2024 season, he was batting .236 with a .652 OPS, one home run, and eight RBI.
Upon his placement on the IL, the Mets brought back Nido as a secondary catching option behind Omar Narvaez, who was originally brought in prior to last season as a starting-catching option while Alvarez completed the final steps of his development to become a full-time MLB player.
Narvaez, however, batted just .154 across 28 games and did little to assist the team’s alarming issues in throwing out opposing base stealers. He was designated for assignment on May 30 before the team acquired Luis Torrens from the Yankees.
Torrens has been a revelation in his two-week spell in Queens. In six games (16 ABs), he was batting .313 with a 1.139 OPS, two home runs, and four RBI. He also threw out three of four would-be base stealers and turned a dazzling double play to secure a 6-5 victory in the London Series finale on Sunday.
His play earned him a chance at being the main backup for Alvarez, who will now try to get his season back on track while providing some more pop near the lower half of New York’s lineup.
