New York Mets rookie catcher Francisco Alvarez is retreating to the bench for Wednesday's matchup against the Washington Nationals. In his absence, Omar Narvaez will do the catching and will bat seventh for the Mets against Nationals right-hander Joan Adon. It's just a normal day of rest for Alvarez, who is hitting just .216 (72-for-334) in his first full major-league season in 2023, but he also has provided plenty of pop at the weak catcher position with 22 home runs and 51 RBI. The 21-year-old Venezuelan backstop has struggled in 11 games (eight starts) since Aug. 22, going 5-for-31 (.161) with a homer, a double, five RBI, 11 strikeouts, a stolen base and three runs scored for the Mets.

New York Mets rookie catcher Francisco Alvarez will start Monday's contest against the Atlanta Braves on the bench. It will be Alvarez's second straight game sitting out as the Mets look to keep him fresh down the stretch. Omar Narvaez will do the catching on Monday and will hit seventh in the batting order against Braves rookie right-hander Allan Winans. The 21-year-old Alvarez has impressed with 21 home runs in 303 at-bats as the Mets' primary catcher in his first full MLB season, but he's also hitting just .221 (67-for-303) and has gone 9-for-53 (.170) with a homer, double, four RBI, 12 strikeouts and six runs scored in 16 games (13 starts) so far in August.

New York Mets rookie catcher Francisco Alvarez is taking the day off on Wednesday in a day game against the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates. Omar Narvaez will catch right-hander Tylor Megill and will hit seventh in the lineup against Pirates right-hander Johan Oviedo. Designated hitter Mark Vientos is also getting some rest. Alvarez has earned the starting job behind the plate for the Mets this year in his first full season, and he's been great in fantasy for his power (21 home runs). However, he's batting just .226 (65-for-288) on the year and has gone 15-for-78 (.192) with four home runs, a double, nine RBI, 19 strikeouts and 12 runs scored in 23 games (21 starts) since the All-Star break. Hopefully the young catcher will be able to get hot again at the plate down the stretch.

New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez is sitting on Sunday against the Atlanta Braves. After catching the nightcap of the doubleheader on Saturday, Alvarez will give way to Omar Narvaez for another game. Though he has 21 home runs on the season, Alvarez hasn't proven capable of contributing to too many other categories this season.

New York Mets rookie catcher Francisco Alvarez will take a seat in the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday against the division-rival Atlanta Braves. With Alvarez on the bench, Omar Narvaez will do the catching and bat seventh against Braves right-hander Allan Winans. Alvarez will most likely get the starting nod behind the dish for Game 2. The 21-year-old Venezuelan backstop has taken over the starting catching duties in New York in his first full big-league season. Alvarez has impressed big time. He's hitting just .230 (64-for-278), but he already has 21 home runs, 44 RBI and 41 runs scored in 303 trips to the plate over 86 games. Since the All-Star break, Alvarez is hitting .206 (14-for-68) with four homers, a double, nine RBI and 11 runs scored in 20 games (18 starts).

New York Mets rookie catcher Francisco Alvarez is taking the day off on Tuesday against the visiting Chicago Cubs. With Alvarez out, Omar Narvaez will do the catching and will hit in the eight-hole against Cubs right-hander Jameson Taillon. It's just a regular day off for Alvarez, who has become the team's regular backstop by impressing in his first full big-league season. The 21-year-old youngster is hitting just .231 (62-for-268), but he also has 21 home runs, 44 RBI and 41 runs scored, which is extremely useful in fantasy leagues at the catching position. However, he's slowed down since the All-Star break, going 12-for-58 (.207) with four homers, nine RBI, 16 strikeouts and 11 runs scored in 17 games (16 starts) since July 14.

New York Mets rookie catcher Francisco Alvarez is getting the day off on Thursday as the team takes on the Kansas City Royals. Omar Narvaez will catch right-hander Carlos Carrasco and will hit seventh against Royals right-hander Brady Singer. Alvarez is hitting just .236 (61-for-258) in his first full big-league season, but he's also provided plenty of pop (21 home runs) at the weak catching position in fantasy and has added 44 RBI in 80 games and 281 plate appearances. The 21-year-old is one of the best young emerging power bats at the position in MLB. It's a good time for a day off, though, as he's gone 6-for-35 (.171) with two homers, four RBI and six runs scored in his last 10 games since July 20.

New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez is out of Thursday's lineup versus right-hander Josiah Gray and the Washington Nationals. It seems to just be a maintenance day for the rookie backstop. He was hit in the hand by a pitch on Tuesday, but was able to play on Wednesday. Alvarez has run extremely hot and cold during his first full season. The 21-year-old is just 2-for-21 over his most recent six games after a torrid start to July. Alvarez should remain in the top-10 fantasy catcher conversation on his alluring power upside alone. Omar Narvaez sets up behind the plate to catch Kodai Senga and bat ninth for Thursday's tilt.

New York Mets rookie catcher Francisco Alvarez (hand) and outfielder Tommy Pham (groin) are both back in the starting lineup on Wednesday against New York Yankees left-hander Carlos Rodon. Alvarez is catching and batting eighth, while Pham is serving as the designated hitter and batting fifth in the Subway Series finale. Alvarez took a pitch off his right hand on Tuesday, but X-rays came back negative and the 21-year-old rookie is back in there the next day. He's been a tremendous asset at the catching position in fantasy in his first full year in the big leagues with 19 home runs and 41 RBI. Pham is back in there for the first time since last Thursday, and he'll be eased back in as the DH. The 35-year-old trade candidate has hit a respectable .271 on the year with nine home runs and 11 stolen bases in 75 games.

Updating a previous report, X-rays on New York Mets rookie catcher Francisco Alvarez's right hand came back negative after he left Tuesday night's game early against the New York Yankees. Alvarez said that his concern level is zero and he doesn't plan on undergoing further testing. It's great news for those that have been using the impressive young backstop in their starting fantasy lineups, and he might even be back in Wednesday's lineup. The 21-year-old catcher did go 0-for-5 with four strikeouts in the game against the Yankees on Tuesday before getting hurt late, but he's been a great power asset at the shallow catching position in fantasy. Alvarez has clubbed 19 home runs and driven in 41 runs in 235 at-bats in 2023.

New York Mets rookie catcher Francisco Alvarez (hand) left Tuesday's game early against the New York Yankees after being hit in the hand. Omar Narvaez replaced him behind the plate. It added injury to insult for Alvarez, who went 0-for-5 with four strikeouts before getting injured. Until we know more regarding Alvarez's injury, consider him day-to-day heading into Wednesday's contest. The 21-year-old has really announced his presence in the big leagues so far in his first full season, as he entered Tuesday's game with 19 home runs, seven doubles, 41 RBI and 34 runs scored in 255 plate appearances over 74 games. At the weak catching position, Alvarez has become a must-start in all fantasy leagues. If he misses Wednesday's game, Narvaez is likely to get the start behind the dish.

New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez posted a solid first half of the season. The rookie backstop slashed .238/.295/.514 with 17 homers, 30 runs, and 35 RBI across 210 at-bats. While Alvarez could stand to show better plate discipline (5.7% walk rate), his power certainly has provided a boost in fantasy at the catcher position. Alvarez managed a solid walk rate over his 49 games in Triple-A over the past two seasons so the potential to improve is there as he becomes more accustomed to MLB pitching. The Mets open up the second half of the season on Friday at home against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

New York Yankees catcher Francisco Alvarez is doing the catching and is batting ninth in the lineup on Monday against the Milwaukee Brewers and right-hander Colin Rea. Alvarez went hitless in six at-bats on Friday and Saturday against the Philadelphia Phillies and was given a day to rest on Sunday, but he's back in there on Monday for the series opener against Milwaukee. The 21-year-old Venezuelan backstop has had his share of ups and downs in his first full season in the big leagues, and he's currently down while going 4-for-34 (.118) with no homers, one double and 11 strikeouts in his last 11 games. Alvarez may only be hitting .224 (38-for-170) on the year, but he does have 12 home runs at a weak catcher position.

New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez (hand) is back in the starting lineup for Tuesday's game against the Houston Astros. Alvarez was hit by a foul ball in the hand during Monday's contest versus Houston. Luckily, the MRI came back negative, so Alvarez isn't dealing with anything serious. He clearly is feeling fine as he's back in the lineup the very next day. Alvarez will be behind the plate and bat sixth versus lefty Framber Valdez on Tuesday. Fantasy managers will be relieved to know that the 21-year-old backstop is perfectly fine.

New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez (hand) exited Monday's 11-1 win over the Astros early after taking a foul ball directly off his right hand/wrist. He stayed in temporarily before leaving, going 1-for-3 with a single, a walk, and a strikeout. Manager Buck Showalter said after the game that X-rays came back negative and that the Mets will wait to see how sore he is tomorrow before deciding if he will play. This seems to be overall good news all things considered for fantasy managers, as Alvarez seems merely day-to-day at this time. The 21-year-old has provided pop out of a shallow position, slashing .233/.287/.497 with 12 home runs and 25 RBI in 171 plate appearances.

New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez is out of the starting lineup for Friday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals. This appears to be a routine rest day for Alvarez, so he should be back in the lineup after this game. He's slashing .236/.289/.520 with 12 home runs and 25 RBI in 41 games this season. Omar Narvaez will cover behind the plate and bat ninth versus right-hander Miles Mikolas.

New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez is operating as a designated hitter from the second spot in the team's lineup on Thursday versus the Atlanta Braves. A recent hot streak got the 21-year-old some action as the second hitter briefly last week. While Alvarez has totaled most of his production out of the ninth spot this year, there's no question the two-hole is far more favorable for his fantasy value. New York's top prospect has taken a nosedive recently after that aforementioned hot streak, but Alvarez curbed an 0-for-14 cold spell with a four-bagger in Wednesday's contest. The slugging backstop is hitting .238 with a .798 OPS and nine homers plus 20 RBI over 122 at-bats on the campaign.

New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez is out of the starting lineup for Tuesday's game against the Atlanta Braves. The rookie backup appears to be getting a routine rest day here. He's slashing .237/.291/.492 with eight home runs and 19 RBI in 34 games this season. Omar Narvaez will cover behind the plate and bat ninth against right-hander Bryce Elder on Tuesday. Fantasy managers should expect Alvarez back in the lineup after this contest.

New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez is out of the lineup on Saturday against the Toronto Blue Jays. It's a routine day off and the recently-returned Tomas Nido will hit ninth and catch Tylor Megill for this one. It's worth mentioning that Omar Narvaez (calf) is positioned to rejoin the major leagues sometime soon as well. It may supply Alvarez with some competition for playing time, which he hasn't had for the past several weeks. The former No. 1 overall prospect has done his part to stick around, and then some, hitting .275/.351/.652 with seven homers and 15 RBI over his last 69 at-bats. Alvarez should be back in the lineup for Sunday's affair in any event.

New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez is back in the starting lineup on Thursday against the Philadelphia Phillies and right-hander Taijuan Walker, and he is hitting ninth in the batting order. Alvarez got a day of rest on Wednesday after starting the previous six games. The 21-year-old catching prospect will return on Thursday in a matinee affair, but he'll have less DFS appeal at the bottom of the order. After a slow start at the plate, Alvarez has caught fire offensively, going 12-for-34 (.353) with two doubles, five home runs and 13 RBI in his last nine games. If he continues to swing the bat well, he should feature higher up in New York's batting order. Regardless, Alvarez is finally starting to show the offensive potential he promised one of the top catching prospects in baseball.