PORT ST. LUCIE – For a second straight season the Mets will be without Francisco Alvarez for a significant stretch.
The catcher fractured the hamate bone on his left hand and will undergo surgery Monday that will sideline him for 6-8 weeks, according to manager Carlos Mendoza.
Alvarez sustained the fracture on a swing during live batting practice on Saturday.
“It’s a big blow when your starting catcher goes down,” Mendoza said Sunday at Clover Park. “But guys will step up. Guys will get opportunities, what we have in house and I am sure [president of baseball operations] David [Stearns] will be looking outside.”
Mendoza added the expectation is Alvarez will need the full eight weeks because he is a catcher and the injury occurred on his glove hand. By that timeline, Alvarez would return to the Mets’ lineup in early May.
Last season Alvarez slipped rounding first base and tore a ligament in his left thumb that necessitated surgery that cost him seven weeks.
His initial return gave the Mets’ lineup a jolt, but he struggled for most of the second half, finishing with a .237/.307/.403 slash line with 11 homers and 47 RBIs.
Backup Luis Torrens will move into the starter’s role in Alvarez’s absence.
The catching depth in camp includes Chris Williams, Hayden Senger and Jakson Reetz.
“These guys can handle a pitching staff, they can receive so we feel good,” Mendoza said. “[Torrens] will get a good opportunity now.”
Alvarez will join pitchers Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas on the injured list to begin the season.
Manaea is sidelined until mid-to-late April with a right oblique strain and Montas is rehabbing from a high-grade lat strain that will keep him out until at least mid-May.
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