KANSAS CITY — Francisco Alvarez had two home runs Saturday night, but they didn’t come in Kansas City. Instead, he hit them in Syracuse where he’s been trying to find his stride again in Triple-A. The Mets demoted the catcher that was once billed as the next Mike Piazza late last month after inconsistencies at the plate and behind it necessitated a change.
In 15 Triple-A games since the demotion, Alvarez has regained some of his power, but he’s still working out some of the holes in his swing and his decision-making. While the Mets have acknowledged some improvements made by the 23-year-old, they haven’t made a decision as to whether or not they’ll call him back up to the big leagues following the All-Star break.
“I think it’s a combination of a lot of different things,” manager Carlos Mendoza said Sunday before the Mets’ series finale against the Royals at Kauffman Stadium. “When I’m watching his at-bats, he seems like, at times, he’s going back to the old stance. But at the end of the day, we want him to do damage, be ready for the fastball, make some good swing decisions, and when he’s getting pitches to him not missing them.”
When Alvarez isn’t missing his pitches and his swing mechanics are where they should be, he’s able to hit to all fields. But that hasn’t been the case this season. Whether it was the changes he made to his swing in the offseason, or just bad habits creeping in, the Mets and their development coaches are working with him to help him figure out how to fix the habits to ensure he can hit big league pitching again.
His offense also can’t come at the cost of his defense. Alvarez greatly improved his throws to second and his pop times this season, but his framing and blocking suffered. He also made some strange defensive decisions at times.
“Watching the film, he’s driving the ball to all fields, and defensively, there’s a lot of improvement as well with what we see in the blocking,” Mendoza said. “We know the throwing has been there, so again, a lot of good things happening from Alvy.”
Alvarez is slashing .241/.328/.648 with seven home runs, one double, 16 RBI and five walks in 61 plate appearances since returning to Triple-A. He’s struck out 18 times.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Right-hander Max Kranick may need his second Tommy John surgery. The reliever is seeing Dr. Keith Meister in Texas to get another opinion on his injured right elbow, and the Mets don’t expect him to return anytime soon.
It’s unfortunate considering Kranick was pitching well in his first big league season since undergoing his first ulnar collateral ligament repair surgery. Last year, he pitched in Triple-A throughout the entirety of the season, with the Mets converting him from a starter to a reliever. The team carried him on the postseason roster in the Wild Card round without using him.
This year, he made the team out of camp and became a fixture in the bullpen with his ability to throw multiple innings. Kranick, 27, went 3-2 with a 3.65 ERA in 37 innings for the Mets, his first season pitching in the big leagues since 2022. Kranick would be the third Mets reliever to need Tommy John surgery this season.
Right-hander Jose Butto (undisclosed illness) will pitch for Low-A St. Lucie on Tuesday. The Mets could activate him off the injured list Friday against the Cincinnati Reds if he comes through the outing healthy.
