Francisco Alvarez appears to be making a speedy recovery from surgery to repair a torn right meniscus he suffered May 12.
Alvarez has resumed baseball activities and Carlos Mendoza said following Sunday’s 10-1 win over Miami at Citi Field that the catcher is scheduled to begin a minor league rehab assignment with Triple-A Syracuse on Tuesday.
The Mets have survived without Alvarez thanks to the presence of Luis Torrens, who had another solid game Sunday — helping get Nolan McLean through five solid innings despite a career-high five walks, and David Peterson through four scoreless frames — as well as providing a key two-run single.
But Torrens also had an injury scare, as the catcher was hit by a pitch on his left hand during a sixth-inning at-bat.
Torrens stayed in the game — and scored later in the inning on Juan Soto’s grand slam.
Still, the Mets are clearly better off with Alvarez as an option in the lineup — whether behind the plate or at DH.
Torrens, though, has again proven his value as more than just a capable backup.
Jorge Polanco could have his rehab assignment moved to Triple-A Syracuse on Tuesday as the infielder recovers from the wrist contusion and Achilles bursitis that have sidelined him since April 15.
But even when the veteran infielder returns to the Mets — potentially on the upcoming road trip in San Diego — he won’t see much time at first base, according to Mendoza.
The manager said he didn’t expect Polanco to need his glove initially when he gets back.
“I’m not anticipating a guy who’s gonna play a lot in the field,” Mendoza said.
He also used words like “manage” and “monitor” when it came to Polanco’s usage, which will include off days, time at DH and off the bench.
“Let’s get to that point,” Mendoza noted.
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Polanco has played just 14 games for the Mets since signing a two-year, $40 million deal in the offseason.
Peterson has pitched better out of the bullpen than as a starter all season and that trend continued Sunday, as the lefty didn’t allow a run in his four innings in relief of McLean.
As a reliever this year, Peterson has allowed just five earned runs in 24 innings (1.88 ERA) compared to a 7.56 ERA over 33 ¹/₃ innings in his seven starts.
“I was given the ball and I try to do my role and help the team win,’’ said Peterson, who was yanked from the rotation again and replaced by fellow lefty Sean Manaea, who has pitched better recently and seen an uptick in velocity.
Marcus Semien reached base four times for a second time this year.
He homered, walked twice and singled.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
