Francisco

Alvarez

The 23-year-old has eight home runs and 18 RBI in just 18 games at Triple-A Syracuse since his demotion. That comes with a .250/.333/.672 slash line. Perhaps more importantly, Alvarez’s pull rate is up 13 percent since being sent down, and he’s elevating the ball 20 percent more often. If he can get to his pullside power more often, Alvarez could be a real asset for the Mets down the stretch.

Alvarez went 3-for-4 with that home run in the first game of the doubleheader, which made it three games in a row with a home run since Alvarez was sent down to Triple-A. If he can keep showing that pullside power as well as improved defensive performance during his stint in the minors, Alvarez could be back up with the Mets in July.

Alvarez slashed .236/.319/.333 slash line with three homers in 138 plate appearances this season for the Mets, while also regressing defensively. He’s just 23 years old, so there is plenty of time for Alvarez to figure it out, but the team needs him to get back to driving the ball in the air while also improving behind the plate.

The writing has been on the wall for a couple weeks now as the Mets finally decided to ship Alvarez to the minors in an apparent effort to hit the reset button and give him a chance to iron things out after struggling to a .236/.319/.333 slash line with just three homers in 138 plate appearances over 35 games. The far greater concern for the 23-year-old former top prospect is that he’s gone from being a near-elite defender when he broke into the majors to merely league-average behind the dish over the last two seasons. Luis Torrens will take over as New York’s primary catcher with Hayden Senger coming up in a backup role.

Alvarez missed the first two games of the Nationals series but will return in time for the series finale. Maybe the warmer weather will heat up his bat.

Alvarez, who hit his second homer of the year in his last appearance Sunday, will rejoin the Mets this weekend. In the meantime, Luis Torrens will start behind the plate.

Torrens will get some extra time off to rest and recover after taking a foul ball to the groin area over the weekend. It’ll be Francisco Alvarez handling the catching duties for the second straight game. It sounds like there’s a strong possibility he’s back in the lineup at some point this week without requiring a trip to the injured list.

Torrens is feeling better after taking a foul ball to the groin area during Sunday’s showdown against the Cubs. He’ll get some extra time to continue resting and recovering with Francisco Alvarez handling the catching duties during Monday’s series opener at Citi Field.

Alvarez delivered an RBI single off of Andre Pallante in the third inning that increased the Mets’ early lead to 4-2. That would wind up being the extent of their offense though. He has swung a hot bat since being activated from the injured list in late April, slashing .286/.375/.429 with one homer and seven RBI in his first 32 plate appearances.

Playing his second game of the season after missing time with a hamate bone fracture, Alvarez delivered a two-run blast off Brad Lord in the second inning to drive in the only two runs of the game. The 23-year-old backstop’s return provides a spark for a team that’s already off to a great start at 19-8. His power potential warrants interest in most one-catcher formats at least 12 teams and deeper.