Mets catching situation remains in flux thanks to Francisco Alvarez’s struggles

The Mets are hardly alone in having issues at catcher.

But for a team that’s long waited for Francisco Alvarez to establish himself, its patience has been tested again.

Since Alvarez caught his fourth straight game Aug. 11, the Mets haven’t started either Alvarez or Luis Torrens more than two games in a row.

It’s as much an indication of Alvarez’s struggles on both sides of the ball as it is Torrens’ dependability.

And with catchers being such a difficult commodity to find, the Mets could take the duo into next season, but that was never the plan.

Alvarez was expected to get the bulk of the playing time, with the organization hoping he could become more consistent — and healthy.

Alvarez — nearly four years after making his MLB debut with the Mets late in the 2022 season — continues to be prone to both lengthy slumps and injuries.

Francisco Alvarez walks back to the dugout after striking out during the Mets’ win over the Astros. on Aug. 29, 2026 at Citi Field. Bill Kostroun / New York Post

Lately, he’s found his struggles with the bat.

As the Mets enter their homestand Friday against the Giants at Citi Field, Alvarez is back in an ugly slump, just 5-for-51 with a pair of doubles, four walks and 29 strikeouts in his past 16 games.

Torrens, meanwhile, after getting off to a brutal start to the season, has a .753 OPS since May 10.

The Mets signed him to an extension during the season and held on to him at the trade deadline.

But while they know what they’re going to get out of the former Yankees prospect, Alvarez remains a mystery.

Typically worse against left-handed pitching than versus righties, Alvarez this season has had an especially rough time when facing southpaws, with a .583 OPS, compared with .757 against righties.

Only four of the 124 righty hitters with at least 100 plate appearances against lefties have been worse.

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He’s also struck out a career-high 30.6 percent of the time.


The Mets claimed right-hander Cameron Weston from the Orioles and optioned him to Triple-A Syracuse.

The 26-year-old has made one appearance in the majors, tossing an inning for Baltimore in May. He spent most of this season with Triple-A Norfolk, where he’s been mostly ineffective.

To make room on the 40-man roster, catcher Shawn Ross was designated for assignment. Ross was picked up off waivers from the Pirates last month.

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