The Mets announced today that they have the catcher Francisco Alvarez to triple-a. Carrier Hayden Senger was called to take Alvarez’s place on the active grid.

Alvarez, 23, is amid his fourth MLB season. However, in 2022 he played only five games in the majors and the 2023 campaign entered a consensus-top-10 prospect in the entire sport. He hit a reverent .209/.284/.437 (97 WRC+) with 25 home runs in 123 games during that Rookie Campaign, while assessing as one of the best defense catchers of the sports. It was a strong enough performance to make Alvarez a lock to serve as the Mets’s ordinary catcher in 2024, but was placed by a hand injury that eventually had to undergo his thumb and miss for almost two months. Alvarez was able to hit a reverent .237/.307/.403 (102 WRC+) last year, approximately the average production of the league despite a sharp decline in the power delivery.

While Alvarez’s overall offensive line was in line with expectations in 2024, there were still reasons for concern. His one -time defense was only on average in 2024, as his blocking ability from average to the second percentile among qualifying catchers went per Statcast. His numbers of pitch also slid, although they remained elite. In addition to the step back, Alvarez’s power failure last year led to statistics to assess his actions on the board more hard; His Xwoba dropped from .305 in 2023 to just .289 in 2024, despite his Woba that remained steady over both seasons.

More to come.