New York Mets Catcher To Miss 2 Months

The New York Mets have been dealt a significant blow behind the plate, as starting catcher Omar Narvaez has been diagnosed with a "medium-to-high-grade left calf strain" and will be out "8 to 9 weeks."

Omar Narváez will land on the IL with a calf strain.

The typical return to play is 8-9 weeks: https://t.co/xrucT2cT08 pic.twitter.com/AFRt0lGHeJ

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) April 6, 2023

Most Mets fans, however, will be looking at this as a positive development, in that it means that top prospect Francisco Alvarez will be getting the call. The Mets had said during spring training that they wouldn't call up the 21-year-old unless he could play fairly regularly. Now he'll get that chance. 

The veteran Narvaez was mainly signed by the Mets due to the significant defensive upgrades he's made over the past three seasons, but he also had a nice bat for a catcher earlier in his career. 

As for the rookie, Alvarez has mashed his way through the minors to become one of baseball's top prospects overall. He already has two dingers in four games at Triple-A this season; last year in a brief cameo with the Mets, he hit one bomb in five games. He had 51 HRs and a .915 OPS in his last two minor league seasons. 

We'll get to find out quickly if that bat will translate to the majors at the young age of 21. 

Photo: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports