About a week ago, the thought of Francisco Alvarez being on the big-league roster in time for the Mets’ home opener would’ve sounded like a pipe dream. But things can change fast when it comes to baseball.
Omar Narvaez got hurt during Wednesday’s finale in Milwaukee against the Brewers. While getting re-evaluated in New York on Thursday, it was determined he needed a trip to the injured list for up to two months. Alvarez was already in Flushing in case the Mets needed to activate him, and the stars officially aligned for it to happen.
The next thing to do would be to pencil him into Friday’s lineup, right? Not so much. At least, Mike Puma of the New York Post rained on that potential parade Thursday night:
Mets will stick with the plan they had in place and start Tomas Nido behind the plate for tomorrow’s home opener. Francisco Alvarez would be available off the bench.
— Mike Puma (@NYPost_Mets) April 6, 2023
That reporting was accurate. Once the Mets officially released Friday’s lineup against the Marlins, Tomas Nido was listed as the starting catcher. But it’s not like he’s going to take the bulk of the playing time, right? If they make the bold move to promote Alvarez in the wake of Narvaez’s prolonged absence, he should be playing consistently.
It certainly doesn’t sound that way when listening to manager Buck Showalter discuss Alvarez’s anticipated playing time:
Manager Buck Showalter says top prospect Francisco Álvarez will receive "some" playing time:
"It's kind of like a backup quarterback that gets drafted out of college. Everybody knows he's going to be a really good player, but the time he spends as a backup is very valuable too."
— Metsmerized Online (@Metsmerized) April 7, 2023
This could be a typical Buck move where he’s not trying to tip his hand by answering questions from the media. But, like…come on, man.
One of the big reasons why the Mets signed Narvaez in the first place is that they wanted Alvarez to continue catching on a near-everyday basis to put the finishing touches on his development. And, if all went according to plan, he would’ve done that in Triple-A for the majority (or all) of this season.
But of course, plans change. Especially for a club that’s very much in win-now mode. And that’s a big reason why he’s here. So I’m only going to take these comments from Showalter with a grain of salt.
If Alvarez wasn’t going to get consistent playing time, they would’ve left him in Syracuse and promoted Michael Perez instead. Right? Right?!? That’s what I’m going to keep telling myself. And I’ll only believe Showalter’s comments if that’s how the situation unfolds in the coming weeks.
The Mets could use more right-handed thump in the lineup. Whether he’s catching or acting as the designated hitter, Alvarez obviously provides that. Will there be bumps in the road along the way? Well, duh — of course there will be. That’s life with a 21-year-old rookie. And although the season is only seven games old at this point, it’s not like there are other guys who can offer the potential upside he can bring to the table.
Use this opportunity to see what the kid is made of. Isn’t that why they recalled him from Triple-A in the first place? If he’s not going to play consistently, he might as well head back to Syracuse. But since he’s in Flushing, I don’t think that’ll actually be the case. At least, I hope not.
You can reach Matt Musico at matt.musico@xlmedia.com. You can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
