Mets make change to catching dynamic as Luis Torrens gets another start over Francisco Alvarez
Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Mike Puma about the inside buzz on the Mets.What manager Carlos Mendoza called “a good problem to have” is still one that needs to be navigated.The Mets have a former top prospect in all of baseball at catcher, one with high upside who has been solid defensively but has not hit much yet this season.
They also have one of the better backups in baseball who has played like one of the better catchers in baseball this year, with a better than expected bat complementing standout ability to nail base stealers.For the first time since Francisco Alvarez returned from the injured list on April 25, he has been out of the starting lineup for consecutive games.Luis Torrens’ play demanded another start Sunday, when he caught Kodai Senga and reinforced that the Mets no longer have a regular catcher, instead employing a timeshare.“Both [are] going to play,” Mendoza said before the Mets finished a series against the Dodgers at Citi Field.Torrens has not wrested away the everyday job — Mendoza said there was “a really good chance” that Alvarez would return behind the plate for Monday’s series opener against the White Sox — but the work allotment has begun to shift enough that Mendoza felt obligated to talk with Alvarez on Saturday night.According to Mendoza, Alvarez — who has looked like the future of the Mets catching position essentially since signing out of Venezuela in 2018 — took the back-to-back benchings in stride.“Whatever the team needs, I’ll be ready to go,” was Alvarez’s response, according to Mendoza.“Whenever you need me, I’ll be ready.”So far this year, Torrens has been the better option.
The 29-year-old journeyman, whom the Mets picked up from the Yankees in what seemed like a minor trade a year ago this month, has been the best catcher in MLB at throwing out runners, entering play 7-for-13 in cutting down base stealers, and has been on...