3 NY Mets roster moves we’d like to see before the second half begins

2) Mets recall Francisco Alvarez from AAA

It might be time for Francisco Alvarez to come back to the big leagues. He served enough time where the Mets will gain a year of control, delaying his free agency. Obliterating baseballs in Syracuse of late, the team is in need of an offensive spark. There is reason to doubt Alvarez could be the solution. But it’s certainly worth a try with how poorly Luis Torrens has done at the plate.

In his most recent game in Syracuse, Alvarez homered and doubled twice. He’s batting .317/.391/.805 in 46 plate appearances in July with 6 home runs and 13 RBI. It’s probably about time to see how he can help a Mets lineup in need of run support.

Alvarez will have to wait to work his way into the good graces of the Mets lineup again. He’s likely to fade into the last third of the lineup with more regularity until he proves otherwise. The shame of it is that with so many other young Mets players struggling, the team has been unable to accept anything less than excellent from him.

There comes a point where there’s little more to gain by playing in the minor leagues. Luisangel Acuna didn’t exactly light the world on fire in the minors. The team likely recalled him to retain his final minor league option. Now that they’ve done the bookkeeping on Alvarez, they should see if there’s anything he can offer.