New York Mets starting catcher Omar Narváez has been placed on the injured list with a medium- to high-grade strain of his left calf, setting up top catching prospect Francisco Álvarez to make his 2023 debut with the team.
Narváez left the Mets’ 7-6 loss on Wednesday (April 5) to the Brewers after feeling tightness, undergoing an MRI on Thursday morning and likely out eight to nine weeks, according to the team. He signed a one-year deal with New York in the offseason and was batting .286 with two RBIs in his first five games.
Álvarez, ranked the top prospect in baseball by MLB.com, is expected to take Narváez’s place behind the dish, according to multiple reports. A power-hitting Venezuelan who came to the Mets on a club-record $2.7 million signing bonus in 2018, Álvarez has hit .250/.368/.688 with two home runs at Triple-A Syracuse this season in just four games. He crushed 27 home runs with an .885 OPS last season in the upper minors, earning 14 plate appearances in the majors late last year and even a postseason at-bat. He will most likely split reps with Tomás Nido, who replaced Narváez in Wednesday’s loss.
NEWS: The #Mets have recalled No. 1 prospect Francisco Álvarez from the @SyracuseMets (AAA).
Omar Narváez will be placed on the IL with a medium to high grade strain of the left calf. #LGM pic.twitter.com/Mbvj6gjsd4
— GENY Mets Report (@genymets) April 6, 2023
The loss of Narváez expands the growing injury list for the Mets, who are already down Justin Verlander, Edwin Díaz and José Quintana, among others. They went 3-4 in their season-opening road trip to Miami and Milwaukee, hitting just .208 with a .634 OPS as a team.
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