Mets’ Francisco Alvarez returns to MLB after stint at Triple-A

Francisco Alvarez is back from his stint in the minor leagues, more confident in his abilities at the plate and behind it. Unlike when the Mets sent Luisangel Acuña back to Triple-A Syracuse, the club didn’t have a number of at-bats or games in mind for their third-year backstop, but between the way he took on the assignment and the improvements he made, the Mets are calling him up earlier than they anticipated.

Alvarez was in the lineup Monday for the series-opener against the Los Angeles Angels, batting eighth. Catcher Hayden Senger was sent to Triple-A in a corresponding transaction.

“I’ve seen this go both ways, I’ve seen players sulk and ask, ‘Why is this happening? Why me?’ And then I’ve seen players turn the corner and look to get back, and look to work and with the instructors in a less pressurized environment,” president of baseball operations David Stearns said Monday afternoon at Citi Field. “From Day 1, when Alvy was there, that’s what he did, he worked extremely hard. I think he understood and recognized that the way he was performing at the major league level on both sides of the ball was not who he was.

“He took the opportunity away from the bright lights and the cameras and the pressure of a major league environment to work, and he improved very rapidly.”

Alvarez was hitting just .236 with a .652 OPS, on-pace for a career-worst mark. It’s not that his power had diminished this season, rather, he couldn’t figure out how to harness it as he had in the past. A new swing left him late on fastballs and bad habits started to show up again. His pitch-framing and blocking also regressed this season.

“I think what helped me is that I learned how to be patient,” Alvarez said through a team translator. “I continued to work hard, do what I needed to do, and put in the time to eventually get back to the big leagues.”

Alvarez practically hit the cover off the ball during his time in the minors, hitting .299 with 11 home runs, 24 RBI and a 1.233 OPS in 19 games. He finished his time with Syracuse hitting seven homers in only six games. After losing his ability to hit to all fields, the Mets saw him hitting to all fields with power once again in Syracuse.

“I think part of that was the work and the changes he went through in the offseason, combined with an abbreviated spring training and then immediately trying to get back into major league competition,” Stearns said. “That was tough, and some of it was just once you get some poor results at the Major League level, you can spiral down in some other areas. I think that’s what happened defensively. We just want him to get back to the fundamentals of who he was as a catcher.”

Who he is as a catcher is athletic, but Alvarez had become too mechanical this season.

The Mets acknowledge that it’s a lower level of play, but since he’s succeeded at the big-league level in the past, they’re confident he will be able to again. He’s also confident in himself after taking some time away from the big leagues.