Steve Drumwright

The New York Mets' season took another body blow Wednesdsay. Star catcher Francisco Alvarez was diagnosed with a torn meniscus in his right knee. Alvarez was placed on the 10-day injured list, with catcher Hayden Senger called up from Triple-A Syracuse. Luis Torrens is likely to see a bulk of the time behind the plate now. Alvarez was injured while hitting in the sixth inning of Tuesday's 10-2 win over the Detroit Tigers. Alvarez took a big swing at a 2-2 pitch when he got hurt. He did not finish the at-bat, with Torrens taking over. An MRI exam Wednesday revealed the scope of the injury. If he chooses not to have surgery, Alvarez could miss one or two months. If surgery is required, he could return in as few as three months or miss the rest of the season. The 24-year-old Alvarez has had a number of ailments since making his MLB debut in 2022, including torn ligaments in his thumb and a broken left hamate bone. He had a slash line of .241/.317/.393 this season with four homers and 10 RBIs in 37 games. Senger is up for the second time this season after a brief stint in April in which he did not play. In 22 games at Syracuse this year, Senger has a slash line of .209/.274/.507 with six homers and 15 RBIs. The Mets have one of the worst records in baseball at 16-25 entering play Wednesday. View full rumor

The desperation is real, which is why the New York Mets are turning to a player with a grand total of 12 games above the Double-A level. Outfielder A.J. Ewing, Grand Central Mets' No. 3 prospect, will be promoted by the Mets to make his MLB debut, according to a report Monday by Will Sammon of The Athletic. The 21-year-old Ewing has played 12 games at Triple-A Syracuse this year after starting the season at Double-A Binghamton. Even at Binghamton, Ewing had played just 48 games—28 last year and 18 this year. The Mets entered play Monday with the worst record in MLB at 15-25, already 12½ games behind first-place Atlanta in the NL East. At least one move will need to be made to get Ewing on the 40-man and 26-man rosters before Tuesday's series opener vs. the Detroit Tigers at Citi Field. One possibility is outfielder Austin Slater being designated for assignment. Still, Ewing, a fourth-round draft choice in 2023 out of Springboro (Ohio) High School, has been tearing the cover off the ball the last two years regardless of the level. In his dozen games at Syracuse, the left-handed-hitting Ewing had a slash line of .326/.392/.435 with no homers, four RBIs and five stolen bases. That came after posting a .339/.447/.514 slash line at Binghamton with two homers, 11 RBIs and 17 stolen bases. He also has shown patience at the plate, drawing 17 walks in those 18 games at Binghamton. In 2025, between the rookie-level Florida Complex League, High-A St. Lucie and Double-A, Ewing had a combined slash line of .315/.401/.429 with three homers, 55 RBIs and 70 stolen bases in 124 games. Ewing is a contact-minded hitter with superb defense in center field. He has also played left field and a little second base. View full rumor

The Chicago Cubs could be ready to take advantage of the New York Mets' miserable start to the season. According to a report, the Cubs are interested in acquiring ace right-hander Freddy Peralta from the Mets. Peralta, a free agent after the season, has already been traded once this year, going from the Milwaukee Brewers to the Mets in a four-player trade in which New York gave up a pair of top-five prospects in infielder-outfielder Jett Williams and right-handed starter Brandon Sproat. This time, Peralta's price would be lower as the acquiring team would not be able to get draft-pick compensation through the qualifying offer. A qualifying offer can only be extended to a player who is with a team for the full season. The report mentioned that the Mets are holding on to Peralta until at least June 1, at which time the team will reevaluate its position on Peralta and other tradeable assets. The Cubs are in the market for at least one starting pitcher as they currently have three of their projected four Opening Day starters on the injured list, including Cade Horton being out for the season. Peralta has ties to both teams from his Brewers days. Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns led Milwaukee's front office while Peralta was on the roster and Cubs manager Craig Counsell was Peralta's manager in Milwaukee. Peralta will be one of the top free agents available this offseason. View full rumor

The hits just keep on coming. The New York Mets put infielder Ronny Mauricio on the 10-day injured list with a fractured left thumb and selected the contract of infielder Vidal Brujan from Triple-A Syracuse. First baseman Eric Wagaman was designated for assignment to make room for Brujan on the 40-man roster. Mauricio was injured in the seventh inning of Saturday's 4-3 loss to the Los Angeles Angels. He hit a chopper that was fielded by the first baseman and was in a footrace to the bag with the pitcher. Both players slid into first base, which is when Mauricio was injured. Mauricio had been filling in at shortstop for injured superstar Francisco Lindor, who is out with a strained left calf. Now, the Mets are down to their third option at the key defensive position. Offseason acquisition Bo Bichette is likely to see more time at his old position after being the regular third baseman. Brujan was acquired from the Mets in January after he was DFA'd by the Minnesota Twins. In 24 games at Syracuse, Brujan had a .241/.304/.313 slash line with one homer and seven RBIs. View full rumor

In the latest move around the edges of the roster, infielder Andy Ibanez joined the New York Mets' roster a day after being claimed off waivers. To make room, first baseman Eric Wagaman was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse. Ibanez was claimed Thursday off waivers from the A's, who had designated him for assignment. In 11 games for the A's this season, Ibanez was 2-for-17 with three RBIs and two runs scored with a walk and two strikeouts. That resulted in a slash line of .118/.167/.118. Ibanez made his MLB debut in 2021 and has a career .252/.303/.385 slash line with 28 homers and 131 RBIs in 431 games with the Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers and A's. Wagaman had been called up Thursday when Luis Robert Jr. went on the 10-day injured list with a lumbar spine disc herniation. Wagaman did not play in Thursday's 5-4 loss to the Washington Nationals. View full rumor

After his back soreness did not respond to treatment, the New York Mets had outfielder Luis Robert Jr. undergo an MRI exam. The result of that is Robert missing more time than expected. The Mets placed Robert on the 10-day injured list with lumbar spine disc herniation. First baseman Eric Wagaman was called up from Triple-A Syracuse. Also, right-handed reliever Austin Warren was called up from Triple-A and right-handed reliever Carl Edwards Jr. was designated for assignment to make room for Wagaman on the 40-man roster. Robert missed three games as the Mets' medical staff tried to determine the exact cause of the outfielder's discomfort, finally sending him for an MRI. It is another blow to the Mets' offense, which has yet to find its way this year. After a good start, Robert is slashing .224/.327/.329 with two homers and eight RBIs in 24 games. This marks yet another trip to the IL for Robert, whose career has been plagued by injuries. Wagaman was claimed off waivers from the Minnesota Twins, who had designated him for assignment, on Monday and optioned to Triple-A. He had been at Triple-A with the Twins, where he had a .159/.284/.254 slash line with one homer and six RBIs in 18 games. Warren is up from the minors for the third time in April. He has appeared in three games and has a 2.45 ERA in 3⅔ innings, allowing two hits, including a homer, with no walks and five strikeouts. The 34-year-old Edwards, called up Saturday, made two appearances, allowing one run on three hits with four walks and 11 strikeouts in six innings for a 1.50 ERA. View full rumor

There is a temporary solution to the New York Mets' Kodai Senga problem. The right-handed starter was placed on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with inflammation in his lumbar spine. Right-hander Christian Scott was called up from Triple-A Syracuse and could be a possible rotation replacement. It is not known how long Senga will be out. Senga is coming off a 2⅔-inning start against the Colorado Rockies in Sunday's doubleheader in which the Mets were swept. He allowed three runs on three hits and three walks with one strikeout in a 3-0 loss. That was the latest chapter in a frustrating season for the Japanese right-hander. In five starts, Senga is 0-4 with a 9.00 ERA, walking 13 and striking out 23 in 20 innings. That includes a 17.28 ERA in his last three outings. Scott was called up to make a spot start April 23. He went just 1⅓ innings, allowing one run with no hits but walking five and striking out one. Scott also made nine starts for the Mets last year with a 4.56 ERA. View full rumor

The Tommy Pham spark never materialized. Now, the New York Mets are moving on. Pham will be designated for assignment as the Mets are signing fellow outfielder Austin Slater, who was just DFA'd by the Miami Marlins and opted to become a free agent, MLB Network insider Jon Heyman reported Sunday. Pham was called up April 13 as the Mets had lost five in a row and the offense had just been shut out twice by the Athletics. That streak would extend to 12 games before the Mets won back-to-back, only to be swept in a three-game series by the Colorado Rockies, including both ends of a doubleheader Sunday. For his part, the 38-year-old Pham went 0-for-13 with a run scored, one walk and seven strikeouts in nine games. The 33-year-old Slater was off to a 4-for-23 with a run scored, an RBI, four walks and nine strikeouts in 12 games with the Marlins. He was DFA'd by the Marlins and went unclaimed off waivers before being outrighted to Triple-A on Saturday. But Slater had the option of choosing free agency and he landed an opportunity to remain in the majors with the Mets. In his career, which started in 2017 and was mostly spent with the San Francisco Giants, Slater has a slash line of .247/.335/.381. View full rumor

Needing a fresh arm for the bullpen, the New York Mets are calling up right-hander Carl Edwards Jr. from Triple-A Syracuse, according to multiple reports Friday. Right-hander Christian Scott, who was promoted to make a spot start Thursday in the series finale vs. the Minnesota Twins, has been sent back to Syracuse. Edwards, who signed a minor-league deal with the Mets in the offseason, was added to the 40-man roster, which had an opening, before Friday's series opener at Citi Field against the Colorado Rockies. Edwards' addition fills the final 40-man roster slot. Edwards has allowed 13 runs, 10 earned, in 17 innings at Syracuse this season, with 11 walks and 13 strikeouts for a 5.29 ERA. But the veteran of 11 seasons has a career 3.56 ERA. He appeared in four games last year, two each with the Los Angeles Angels and Texas Rangers, allowing three runs in six innings. Scott, who made nine starts for the Mets in 2024, returned for his 10th career start Thursday. That did not go well as he lasted just 1⅓ innings, walking five despite not allowing a hit, which led to a run. His short start forced manager Carlos Mendoza to use five relievers in a 10-8 win over the Twins. View full rumor

Juan Soto is back. And it couldn't come at a better time. The New York Mets, mired in a 12-game losing streak, activated their superstar left fielder from the 10-day injured list Wednesday and optioned third-string catcher Hayden Senger to Triple-A Syracuse. Soto injured his right calf April 3 and went on the IL three days later. Since Soto's injury, things have turned ugly for the Mets. They enter Wednesday's game against the Minnesota Twins with the worst record in the National League at 7-16, thanks to a 12-game skid that hit a new level Tuesday in a 5-3 loss to the Twins as closer Devin Williams entered a tie game and gave up two runs without recording an out. Soto has missed a total of 15 games. He is in Wednesday's lineup as the No. 2 hitter as the designated hitter. The left-handed hitter was slashing .355/.412/.516 and had hit safely in all eight games at the time of the injury. Senger was called up Saturday, but did not appear in a game. View full rumor

With the early-season spiraling, the New York Mets are set to have Juan Soto in the lineup Wednesday. The superstar left fielder will be activated from the 10-day injured list before Wednesday's game against the Minnesota Twins, MLB.com's Anthony reported Tuesday. Soto has been out since straining his right calf April 3 and going on the IL three days later. With the offense struggling and the Mets taking an 11-game losing streak into Tuesday's series opening vs. the Twins, Soto will be a much-needed bat in the lineup. He was slashing .355/.412/.516 with one homer and five RBIs in eight games. Soto hit safely in each of the eight games in which he appeared. The Mets will have to make a move to create room on the 26-man roster for Soto. View full rumor

The New York Mets have lost a second key bat to an injury. With superstar Juan Soto already on the injured list, the Mets placed first baseman Jorge Polanco on the 10-day IL Saturday with a right wrist contusion. Catcher Hayden Senger was called up from Triple-A Syracuse. Polanco, a key offseason signing, last played Tuesday, going 0-for-4 in a 2-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Like others in the Mets' lineup, he was off to a rough start offensively, putting up a .179/.246/.286 slash line with one homer and two RBIs in 14 of the Mets' 20 games. Senger won't be adding much offensively. His .257/.316/.714 slash line with five homers and 11 RBIs in 12 games at Syracuse marks above-average output for the 29-year-old catcher. He made his MLB debut a year ago, appearing in 33 games with the Mets and having a slash line of .181/.221/.194 with no homers and four RBIs. Brett Baty has started the last two games at first base with Polanco out of the lineup. View full rumor

One of the few bright spots to an otherwise dismal start to the New York Mets' season has been doused. Left fielder-first baseman Jared Young was placed on the 10-day injured list Wednesday with a torn meniscus in his left knee. Outfielder MJ Melendez was called up from Triple-A Syracuse to take Young's place on the roster. At 7-11 entering Wednesday's series finale vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers and an offense that has been scuffling, Young stood out in the early part of the season. After making the Opening Day roster, the 30-year-old switch-hitter had produced a .350/.391/.450 slash line with no homers and two RBIs while appearing in 11 games, mainly against left-handed pitching. Young last appeared in Sunday's 1-0 loss to the A's, which is when he reported experiencing soreness in his left knee. He underwent imaging, which revealed the tear. Melendez will be making his Mets debut after playing the last four years for the Kansas City Royals, then signing a split deal with New York in the offseason. At Syracuse, Melendez had a slash line of .216/.286/.431 with two homers and three RBIs in 14 games. View full rumor