The Mets placed Francisco Alvarez on the injured list Wednesday with a right meniscus tear, dealing another blow to what’s already been a rough 2026 season.
Will Sammon of The Athletic broke the news after Alvarez left Tuesday’s win over Detroit early with the knee injury.
“The Mets put Francisco Alvarez on the injured list because of a right meniscus tear,” Sammon reported.
The MRI results weren’t what anyone wanted to hear. Alvarez is looking at roughly six weeks on the shelf, maybe more depending on how the knee responds.
It’s terrible timing for both sides. Alvarez was hitting .241/.710 OPS with four homers and 10 RBIs through 37 games – numbers that ranked third among Mets regulars with at least 50 at-bats, trailing only MJ Melendez and Juan Soto.
That tells you everything about how this season’s going in Queens.
What’s Next Behind the Plate
Luis Torrens steps into the primary catching role now, which means the Mets suddenly have a pretty glaring need to address.
They’ll have options. The trade market’s always got veteran catchers available, and there are usually serviceable free agents floating around mid-season. But finding someone who can match Alvarez’s production? That’s going to be tougher.
The way things have gone this year, the Mets probably need to start making those calls sooner rather than later. Six weeks is a long time to rely on just Torrens, especially if they’re serious about turning this season around.
For Alvarez, it’s about getting healthy and coming back strong. At his age, a meniscus tear shouldn’t be career-altering, but knee injuries always carry some risk.
The timeline suggests he could return sometime in late summer if everything goes according to plan. That’s assuming the Mets are still playing meaningful games by then.
