Sometimes, to take a step forward, a step back is needed. 

It was announced Sunday that young catcher Francisco Alvarez was heading back to Triple-A with the Syracuse Mets.

But Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns told the media that for a player like Alvarez, this is not out of the ordinary. 

“This is not unusual,” Stearns said. “We thought that this was the right time to do that for him and for the team as a whole.” 

Alvarez has not fully recovered from his fractured hamate bone he suffered in March. This season, he played in 35 games, hitting three home runs and driving in 11 runs. With the exception of his on-base percentage, his batting average, slugging percentage, and on-base plus slugging percentage are all below the major league average.

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But it wasn’t just batting struggles hindering him this season. His work behind the plate also saw a significant decline, especially in his framing numbers. 

In both 2023 and 2024, Alvarez was in the top 85 percent of all catchers in MLB when it came to framing. This season, his runs saved by framing number has dipped to minus-4, which is the fourth worst. It is also the first time in his career his number has dropped into the negatives. 

“We do think that there are performance improvements that are needed on both sides of the game,” Stearns said. 

Stearns mentioned there are goals for Alverez while he is playing in Syracuse. Though he did not divulge what these goals specifically are, he did say that the goals are not based on statistics. 

“We want to see him get back to the level of player that we know he can be,” Stearns said. “That’s what he [Alvarez] wants as well.” 

On the same note, Stearns did not specify when they expect Alvarez to return to the major leagues this season, if at all. 

Another aspect to monitor is if Alvarez spends 26 games in the minor leagues, his eligibility for free agency would be pushed back one year. That might come into play regarding his return to the big league club.