As the Mets prepare for their biggest series of the season against the Atlanta Braves, they’re adding a powerful right-handed bat in top prospect Francisco Alvarez.
According to multiple reports, the 20-year-old catcher will be called up on Friday.
Ranked as the No. 1 prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline, Alvarez began his season in Double-A Binghamton before being promoted to Triple-A Syracuse in early July. In 112 combined games this season, Alvarez has slashed .260/.374/.511 with 27 home runs and 78 RBI.
Alvarez was one of the Mets representatives at the 2022 MLB All-Star Futures Game in Los Angeles in mid-July, where he explained he would be "ready to go" whenever his call to the majors finally came.
“Obviously, it’s always been a goal of mine since I was a little kid to reach the big leagues, and that still is the goal,” Alvarez said, via a translator. “For me, I try not to get too ahead of myself, but I’m here to help and ready to go whenever they need me.”
Alvarez will likely see most of his opportunities come as a DH option against left-handed pitching for the Mets down the stretch and potentially in the playoffs.
Currently, the Mets have been using either Mark Vientos or Darin Ruf as their right-handed DH, but Ruf has struggled mightily since being acquired at the trade deadline and Vientos has had his troubles with major league pitching since being called up.
Alvarez missed time in late August/early September due to an ankle injury, as he traveled to New York to be further evaluated. After it was determined that surgery wasn't needed, Alvarez returned to action on Sept. 11.
The Mets enter this weekend's series with a one-game lead over the Braves in the race for the NL East crown.
Adding Alvarez to the mix certainly brings even more drama to what should be an eventful series.