NY Mets players to once again embrace next man up mentality in 2025

Francisco Alvarez’s fractured hamate bone was a surprising blow to the New York Mets with Opening Day just over two weeks away. The 23-year-old’s presence behind the plate and with the bat certainly can’t be replaced but early signs show the next man up mentality can keep the team afloat until he is able to return from that six to eight-week diagnosis.

No more than two hours after Carlos Mendoza announced the news, catcher Jakson Reetz hit a first-inning grand slam in Sunday’s win over the Cardinals. The home run came against the projected second starter in the Nationals rotation, Jake Irvin.

The Mets went 27-21 with Luis Torrens in the lineup in 2024

A little over 24 hours later, Luis Torrens hit an opposite field home run against Sonny Gray in an 8-0 Mets win over the Cardinals. Torrens also picked off a runner on first base with the back pick. Alvarez’s absence allows the way for a next man up mentality and in a small sample size, Torrens and Reetz have grabbed the bull by the horns.

Until told otherwise, Torrens will be the Mets starting catcher. After coming over from the Yankees, Torrens hit .229 with three home runs in 118 at-bats. Those are extremely serviceable numbers for what was expected of him. He was magnificent in the run game, throwing out 46.6 percent of potential base stealers. The Torrens led game ending double play in London was a key moment of the Mets mid-season turnaround.

Reetz only has 16 career at-bats at the MLB level but certainly has a chance to stick around as the backup catcher. The same applies to Chris Williams and Hayden Senger, who reportedly caught Kodai Senga in a minor league intrasquad scrimmage on Sunday.

The next man up mentality was a big part of the Mets 2024 run to the NLCS. When Edwin Diaz was injured, Reed Garrett and Dedniel Nunez stepped up in the bullpen. With Francisco Lindor dealing with a back ailment in September, Luisangel Acuna jumped to the big league level and contributed daily and it was Torrens making the difference at catcher when Alvarez missed significant time with a torn ligament in his thumb.

Every season will present challenges with injuries. It’s the teams with the depth that can step into those shoes and contribute that find themselves in the hunt for October baseball. David Stearns will see what his catching depth is capable of right from the jump in the 2025 season.