Carlos Mendoza breaks silence on sending Francisco Alvarez down to Triple-A

Carlos Mendoza didn’t mince words after the Mets sent Francisco Alvarez down to Triple-A Syracuse. The decision followed Alvarez’s home run Saturday night, which wasn’t enough to secure his place on the roster. Mendoza said the move came after “extensive conversations,” not as a reaction to one game.

“We’re not reacting when we’re making these decisions,” Mendoza explained. “We just decided that it was the right time to do it now.” The 23-year-old catcher has struggled with both consistency and confidence since returning from hand surgery. Despite flashes of his former self, the Mets saw more value in letting him reset away from the MLB spotlight.

“If you’re playing three, four games a week compared to having an opportunity to go play in six, that’s how you’re going to get better,” Mendoza said. The team believes Alvarez will benefit from more regular at-bats and lower-pressure reps in the Minors. He’s expected to return—but only once he regains form on both sides of the ball.

Is Luis Torrens the Answer Behind the Plate?

With Alvarez down, Luis Torrens now assumes full-time catching duties. A strong defender with a solid rapport with the pitching staff, Torrens quietly posted a .232/.309/.344 slash line—numbers the Mets can live with from a glove-first catcher. More importantly, he helps control the running game and keeps mistakes to a minimum, two areas where Alvarez struggled.

Torrens earned praise earlier this season while Alvarez recovered from injury, and his steady presence is a key reason the Mets feel no urgency to explore the trade market. Hayden Senger, recalled from Triple-A, will serve as backup, but Torrens has the job for now—and with the Mets pushing for the NL East crown, stability behind the plate may matter more than upside.

How bad was June for Francisco Alvarez?

It wasn’t a complete disaster, but it definitely wasn’t his best stretch. Before being sent to Triple-A, Alvarez had just 10 hits in 42 at-bats in June—though he did contribute 2 home runs over 11 games behind the plate, finishing the month with a .238 batting average.