NEW YORK -- Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez, who has battled a string of physical ailments throughout his young career, departed Tuesday’s 10-2 win over the Tigers in the sixth inning with a right knee injury. He is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Wednesday to determine the exact nature and severity of the issue.
Batting with a runner on base in the sixth, Alvarez twisted his leg awkwardly while fouling off a Burch Smith pitch. After a lengthy chat with manager Carlos Mendoza and trainer Joe Golia, he gave way to pinch-hitter Luis Torrens.
“We’ve just got to wait,” Mendoza said. “It didn’t look good on that swing, obviously. We saw it right away. He came out, but we’ve got to wait.”
Through a team spokesman, Alvarez declined comment, saying he preferred to receive his diagnosis before addressing the issue.
Alvarez was batting .241 with a .710 OPS in 37 games at the time of his injury, serving as the Mets’ starting catcher. The 24-year-old has had trouble staying healthy throughout his career, missing significant time to the injured list from 2024-25 due to multiple torn thumb ligaments and a fractured left hamate bone. Until Tuesday, however, he had managed to stay healthy in 2026.
Should Alvarez miss additional time, Torrens would take over as the everyday catcher. The top option with Triple-A Syracuse is Hayden Senger, who exited his own game shortly after Alvarez was pulled due to injury. Senger will likely head to New York as a precaution on Wednesday, regardless of whether Alvarez requires an IL stint.