Mets not Considering Francisco Álvarez to Replace Injured James McCann

Mets are not considering top catching prospect Francisco Álvarez to replace the injured James McCann.

Don't expect the Mets to ask their top prospect to fill in at the catching position while James McCann is on the I.L. 

On Friday, an X-Ray revealed McCann's wrist soreness was worse than anticipated. The Mets' primary catcher has a broken hamate bone that will require surgery, which typically takes around six weeks to recover from.

In the meantime, Tomas Nido is expected to fill McCann's role, while Patrick Mazeika will serve as his backup behind the dish. However, neither of these options are known for their bat. 

The No. 1 ranked prospect in the Mets' farm system, highly touted catcher Francisco Álvarez, is currently in Double-A Binghamton. But it sounds like the Mets aren't going to rush his development. Especially since McCann was struggling at the plate.

According to a source with knowledge of the situation, the Mets are not considering calling up Álvarez from Double-A to replace McCann.

Álvarez is still just 20-years-old, and the organization feels he has not faced or caught enough high level pitching to receive a call up to the major leagues at this point. 

After getting off to a blistering start, Álvarez has fallen into a bit of a slump with Binghamton. Since April 29, Álvarez has endured a 7-for-46 (.152 average) rut. The Mets' top prospect homered in each of his first three games of the season, but hasn't gone deep since April 17. Overall, he has slashed .226/.327/.441 with a .768 OPS, four homers and 15 RBIs in 93 at-bats on the year.

The development of Álvarez's bat, despite his current cold streak, is further ahead of his defensive skills as a catcher. He must continue to work on handling pitches, blocking and framing in the minors, before he is deemed ready to make his major league debut. 

He only has 25 games in Double-A thus far, and has not caught in all of them. The Mets feel It'd be unfair to ask a player to catch in the big-leagues, who has little experience catching in Double-A. 

Álvarez had a monster campaign in 2021 for Low-A Port St. Lucie and High-A Brooklyn, slashing .272/.388/.524 with a .942 OPS, 24 homers and 70 RBIs across 99 games. However, there is a vast difference between hitting in the lower and upper levels of the minors. And while Álvarez has shown superstar potential as an offensive force, the Mets do not intend to rush his development to the big-leagues, given how important of a piece he could evolve into for the club in the future. 

Read More:

- Mariners Option Jarred Kelenic to Minors Ahead of Series With Mets

- Mets Catcher James McCann to Undergo Surgery for Fractured Bone in Wrist

- How a Healthy Thomas Szapucki Enhances an Area of Weakness for Mets

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