David Lennon: Mets' Francisco Alvarez a quick healer who can bolster club's struggling offense
Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez looks on before the start of a game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Citi Field on Tuesday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
It’s difficult to know how to feel about Francisco Alvarez’s near-miraculous return from knee surgery. The fact that he was in Tuesday night’s lineup against the Cardinals, just 26 days after the operation to repair his torn right meniscus was unbelievable in itself, as Alvarez beat the most optimistic medical projections by more than two weeks.
That typically doesn’t happen around the Mets, as injury timetables tend to stretch beyond the initial estimates rather than shrink (see Polanco, Jorge). Or take someone such as Kodai Senga, who was scratched from Tuesday’s rehab start for Double-A Binghamton due to ulnar nerve irritation in his right arm, the latest in what seems like an endless cycle of medical speed bumps (he’s currently in limbo).
So what does that say about Alvarez? Well, he’s a quick healer for one. Then again, the 24-year-old catcher has plenty of practice coming back from injury, as Alvarez tends to get hurt quite a bit, having played just 76 games last season because of a myriad of health issues, including thumb surgery.
But in a grinding sport that usually preaches caution with such cases, the Mets seem to be fine bucking the industry trend when it comes to Alvarez, despite him playing the game’s most physically demanding position. We’ll see how that turns out. But in the short term, given the Mets’ dire situation trying to get a foothold in the wobbly NL wild-card race, the temptation of reinserting a power bat such as Alvarez into their slugger-deficient lineup ASAP was too much to resist.
On Tuesday, however, his presence was negligible. Alvarez singled for one of the Mets’ five hits in a no-show offensive display and Freddy Peralta was ripped for six runs in six innings in a 7-0 loss to the Cardinals. Peralta (4-5) now has a 5.19 ERA in his last six starts, allowing 37 hits in 34 2⁄3 innings, and was booed along with a number of the Mets by the crowd of 35,175 at Citi Field. Asked about his body of work during this disappointing season, Peralta — one of the Mets’ few trade chips for the coming deadline — tried to apply a positive spin.
“Not good right now, talking about the numbers — at the end of the day, it’s all that matters,” Peralta said. “But I’ve been in this situation before. The good thing is that I’m healthy and I have 18, 19 more games in front of me. I just have to keep competing. At the end of the day, my numbers are going to be there. That’s it.”
Alvarez’s quick return figured to be just what the Mets needed as their offense was gradually stirring here in early June, so they appreciated his hustle. Manager Carlos Mendoza recalled Alvarez hanging around the trainer’s room, a bat in his hand, settling into his stance, just 48 hours after the surgery.
“I always want to get back as quickly as possible to help the team,” Alvarez said through an interpreter before the game. “But also to stay healthy and to be able to do what I can at 100% capabilities.”
Now in his fourth full season, Alvarez still is chasing the lofty potential that once made him MLB’s top overall prospect. Bottom line, he hasn’t lived up to the hype, mostly because of those injuries Alvarez keeps racing back from. But the Mets are in a place right now where a few big swings can make a huge difference.
That didn’t happen Tuesday as the Mets — who still believe they can be playoff contenders — got throttled by the Cardinals, the top wild-card team who showed there is a difference between actually being one and just thinking it’s possible. St. Louis racked up 10 hits — including Alec Burleson’s two-run homer off Peralta in the fifth — played solid defense and made the Mets look silly by pressuring them on the basepaths.
While the misfiring offense had been the Mets’ primary weakness to date, there had been signs of a mini-revival, spurred by a batch of IL returnees who Alvarez now joins. A major factor has been Jared Young, who returned from his own knee surgery — also a meniscus tear — on May 26 and hit .257 (9-for-35) with three homers and a .909 OPS in his first 11 games post-injury.
Alvarez’s return couldn’t come soon enough. The Mets ranked 18th in runs per game but were 28th in batting average (.230) and 29th in OPS (.661), entering Tuesday. Ideally, Alvarez will provide a bump in a few offensive categories, as long as that surgically repaired knee is truly stable.
“I feel like my legs are strong enough,” Alvarez said. “I don’t think there’s anything that’s weak right now. So I feel like I’m strong enough to have success.”
After Alvarez, the Mets should have more reinforcements coming relatively soon. Francisco Lindor (calf strain) is up to full baseball activity — except for running the bases. If he’s able to pass that final test during this homestand, a rehab stint will follow and it’s reasonable to suggest a return by the last week in June.
Regardless of Alvarez’s immediate impact, the Mets certainly can appreciate his ability to promptly return to the field. Especially with so many of their players still nowhere near doing so. With Senga, he appeared to put the back inflammation behind him — despite a 5.25 ERA in three minor-league rehab starts — only to complain of the ulnar nerve issue.
“I don’t think getting back into a game is too far away,” Senga said through an interpreter. “Obviously being healthy is important, and so is performance, so I’m continuing to strive for that.”
The Mets probably aren’t holding their breath on that one.
David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.
