3 troubling Mets trends fans should be concerned about

2) The injuries are piling up for the Mets

It's difficult to remember a time when the Mets were immune to the injury bug. Last season was derailed before it even began by Edwin Diaz's torn patellar tendon, and this season had a similar shadow cast over it when Ronny Mauricio tore his ACL in December and Kodai Senga was unable to take the ball on Opening Day with a shoulder capsule strain.

The Mets have persevered without their ace thanks to strong starts from newcomers Luis Severino and Sean Manaea, plus a bullpen that, with Diaz back in the fold, ranks as one of the best in baseball. That hasn't stopped the injury bug from wreaking more havoc with the roster, though, and even if everyone else stays healthy, it'll be at least two months until the Mets are fully intact again.

There's still no clear timetable on when Senga will return, and now after Francisco Alvarez went down with a UCL injury in his thumb while running the bases against the Dodgers, they'll also be without his top battery mate for about eight weeks.

Alvarez's ascension as one of the best young catchers in baseball has been huge for the Mets, and the protection he provided behind Alonso in the lineup contributed to the Polar Bear winning National League Player of the Week earlier this month. In his stead, Omar Narvaez has become the starter, with Tomas Nido being called up from AAA to be his backup. That pair is functional, but hardly the game-changing force that Alvarez has proven he can be.

JD Martinez is finally set to make his Mets debut in the series opener against the Cardinals, and it's been a long time coming after he was signed more than a month ago to be the team's primary DH. DJ Stewart has been tremendous in his place, but Martinez's slow ramp-up due to a lower back issue has nonetheless been troubling, especially since he's 36 years old to begin with. Back issues don't tend to just go away.

The Mets have dealt with other injuries too, as Brett Baty had to miss a few games with hamstring tightness and Brooks Raley is currently on the injured list with left elbow discomfort, though thankfully an MRI showed no structural damage.

Injuries are inevitable in a 162-game baseball season, but the Mets have already had more than their fair share. Having a "next man up" mentality has allowed the Mets to stay in contention through it all, but if the injuries don't slow down, they could prove too difficult to overcome over the long haul.