Mets' Alvarez to have right knee surgery, Mendoza hopes catcher could return in 6-8 weeks

NEW YORK (AP) — Francisco Alvarez needs surgery to repair a torn right meniscus in his right knee, and New York manager Carlos Mendoza hopes his starting catcher could return in six-to-eight weeks following his fourth trip to the injured list since the start of 2024.

Alvarez was hurt when he fouled off a pitch in the sixth inning of Tuesday’s 10-2 win over the Detroit Tigers.

“You feel for him. You feel for the person, for the human,” Mendoza said Wednesday. “He hasn’t gotten that run of playing everyday, going through struggles, find a way to get through it and keep going. For him, the past three years, he’s always been injured. He struggles, he gets hot, but then he gets hurt and misses significant time.”

Alvarez missed 45 games from April to June in 2024 because of a sprained left thumb, the first 25 games of 2025 with a fractured hamate bone in his left hand and 16 games last August and September because of a sprained right thumb.

He is hitting .241 with four homers and 10 RBIs in 37 games. The Mets placed him on the 10-day injured list and recalled Hayden Senger from Triple-A Syracuse.

Luis Torrens and Senger will split time behind the plate in Alvarez's absence.

Alvarez is the Mets' 12th player currently on the injured list, joining right-handers Reed Garrett (Tommy John surgery), Justin Hagenman (fractured rib), Tylor Megill (sprained right elbow), Dedniel Núñez (Tommy John surgery) and Kodai Senga (lumbar spine inflammation); left-hander A.J. Minter (left lat surgery); shortstop Francisco Lindor (strained left calf); infielders Ronny Mauricio (broken left thumb), Jorge Polanco (bruised right wrist) and Jared Young (torn left meniscus); and outfielder Luis Robert Jr. (lumbar spine disk herniation).

In addition, All-Star outfielder Juan Soto missed 15 games last month because of a strained right calf.

“My job is to get the best out of them today,” Mendoza said. “If I’m worrying about when is this guy going to get back or are we going to be able to put the whole band together — that’s not going to help us. Our job is to go out there and find a way to get the job done.”

Senga thew at Citi Field on Wednesday. Young could start a minor league injury rehabilitation assignment this weekend.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB

Detroit Tigers designated hitter Colt Keith (33) is tagged out by New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez (4) at home base during the fifth inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, May 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Detroit Tigers designated hitter Colt Keith (33) is tagged out by New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez (4) at home base during the fifth inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, May 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

New York Mets' Francisco Alvarez (4) leaves the field during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Detroit Tigers, Tuesday, May 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Texas Rangers right-hander Nathan Eovaldi threw a bullpen session Wednesday and said he felt good two days after being scratched from his scheduled start because of left side tightness.

Eovaldi first felt what he described as minor tightness while playing catch Sunday. He still felt it when he woke up the next day, and met with team trainers before he was supposed to pitch in the opener of a series against Arizona.

“We just did some of the testing that they have for it. I felt it on a few things and we just didn’t feel the need to push it,” Eovaldi said Wednesday. "I’ve experienced something like that before, and just try to play it smart."

The Rangers did have right fielder Brandon Nimmo in the lineup for the series finale against the Diamondbacks, a night after he exited a 7-4 win because of a sprained his left ankle.

“Hopefully, another bullet dodged with two big-time players for us,” manager Skip Schumaker said.

Eovaldi (4-4, 4.15 ERA) said he was assuming that he would take his next normal turn in the rotation Sunday. He said he needed only a couple of days when experiencing similar stiffness in the past during spring training.

Schumaker said that was good to hear, but planned to have conversations with the two-time All-Star and the medical staff before determining when he would make his next start. The Rangers have a day of Thursday before opening a three-series in Houston.

Eovaldi threw about 25 pitches in his bullpen session, and Schumaker they were at a high intensity and “came out good. ... Let’s see how he recovers.”

The 36-year-old pitcher is coming off consecutive wins against New York in his last two starts, limiting the Yankees to one run and striking out 15 over 15 innings in those games. He allowed one run over eight innings at Yankee Stadium last Wednesday and threw seven scoreless innings against them in his last home start on April 29.

Eovaldi was 11-3 with a career-best 1.73 ERA last season when limited to 22 starts because of elbow inflammation and a rotator cuff strain. He didn't pitch after Aug. 22.

Nimmo came up hobbling in the sixth inning Tuesday and exited the game a few pitches after hitting the edge of first baseman Ildemaro Vargas’ foot as he reached on an infield single. X-rays during the game were negative, and he went through drills Wednesday before Schumaker posted the lineup.

"After the game, coming off the field, I didn’t think there was any way he was going to play today," Schumaker said. “He ran through outfield drills, base running drills and told me that he was gonna play. I didn’t tell him he was gonna play.”

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Texas Rangers' Nathan Eovaldi pitches during the second inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Wednesday, May 6, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)