Port St. Lucy – In its second straight season, the Mets do quite a stretch without Francisco Alvarez.
The catcher broke Hamate's bone in his left hand and had surgery on Monday, and will put him aside for six to eight weeks, according to manager Carlos Mendoza.
Alvarez maintained a fracture on the swing during live batting practice on Saturday.
“When your starting catcher goes down, that's a big blow,” Mendoza said Sunday at Clover Park. “But everyone will step up. Everyone will get the opportunity we have at home, and I'm sure. [president of baseball operations] David [Stearns] I look outside. ”
Mendoza added that he is a catcher and that he expects Alvarez to need eight weeks as he suffered an injury in the hands of his gloves. According to that timeline, Alvarez returned to the Mets lineup in early May.
Last season, Alvarez rolled up a base and tore a ligament to the thumb of his left hand, requiring a seven-week operation.
His first return shocked the Mets lineup, but he struggled most of the second half, finishing with .237/.307/.403 slash line with 11 homers and 47 RBI.
Backup Louis Torrens moves to the starter role in Alvarez's absence.
The depths of camp catching include Chris Williams, Hayden Senger and Jackson Leetz.
“These people can handle and receive pitching staff.[Torrens] You'll have a good opportunity now. ”
Alvarez joins pitchers Sean Mania and Frankie Montas on the injured list to start the season.
Mania is on the sidelines with a right diagonal strain from mid-April to the second half, while Montas is rehabilitating from high-grade latitude stocks that keep him out until at least mid-May.
