New York Mets catcher Omar Narvaez is expected to miss eight to nine weeks due to a mid-to-high-grade calf strain, the team announced on Thursday.
The veteran backstop suffered the injury during the eighth inning of Wednesday’s loss to the Milwaukee Brewers when he felt a tweak on the basepaths.
Results from imaging on Thursday morning revealed the strain.
Narvaez signed a one-year, $8 million deal with the Mets over the winter after seven seasons with the Chicago White Sox, Seattle Mariners, and Milwaukee Brewers. That includes a second-year option worth $7 million.
Over five games this season, the 31-year-old went 4-for-14 (.286) with two RBI.
He was brought in to create a platoon alongside Tomas Nido — the two acting as placeholders for the eventual call-up of top prospect Francisco Alvarez, who is the team’s top prospect and ranked the No. 3 overall prospect in the majors by MLB Pipeline.
According to multiple reports, Alvarez is on his way to join the Mets from Triple-A Syracuse in a promotion that comes earlier than anticipated. While the 21-year-old claimed that he would be “100%” on the Mets’ Opening Day roster, general manager Billy Eppler maintained the philosophy that the team would wait until the “complete package” of Alvarez — specifically his defense — was MLB-ready.
An extended stay in Triple-A would have allowed for the extra seasoning necessary to get there. He started the 2022 season in Syracuse by going 4-for-16 with two home runs, four RBI, and a stolen base.
Necessity, however, has rushed the Mets’ timeline where Alvarez now has an opportunity to prove he can hang in the majors for the long haul. In 12 MLB at-bats last season, he recorded a home run and a double.
For more on the Mets, Omar Narvaez, and Francisco Alvarez, visit AMNY.com
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