New York Mets injury news: Spot opens up for Francisco Álvarez

If you’re a New York Mets fan, there is more terrible news out of Citi Field as another New York Mets starter is headed to the IL. Catcher Omar Narvaez suffered a medium-to-high-grade strain in his left calf, and will now be joining Justin Verlander, Edwin Diaz, Jose Quintana, and Tommy Hunter in the suddenly overcrowded Mets physical rehabilitation center for at least eight weeks.

It’s not all bad news for the Metropolitans, however, as it opens a roster spot for their number-one ranked prospect. They will reportedly recall Francisco Álvarez from Triple-A Syracuse.

New York Mets to get long look at a top prospect

Francisco Alvarez is the second-ranked MLB prospect according to the MLB.com Top 100 Prospect list. Alvarez was expected to break camp with the club but, to many fans’ disappointment, he was assigned back to Triple-A Syracuse. Despite his outstanding spring training performance, the Mets front office wanted the 21-year-old Alvarez to focus on his receiving skills behind the plate.

Alvarez was off to a strong start offensively for Syracuse with a 1.056 OPS and two homers in four games. Despite hitting just .167 in 12 at-bats for the Mets last September, he had excellent exit velocity and picked up three runs and a home run. His MLB scouting report says he utilizes impressive strength and bat speed from a whip-like swing to tap into his near-top-of-the-scale raw power. As a result, his exit velocities and home run totals can both be eye-popping.

The Mets could use the help behind the plate as stolen bases across the league are reaching record proportions. Six games into the season, the Mets are 2.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves in the NL East. They can use all the help they can get. Alvarez, back in the show, is the silver lining while the Mets battle this injury plague.