The Mets have made it official: they’ve selected the contract of top catching prospect Francisco Alvarez from Triple-A Syracuse, confirming his previously reported promotion to the big leagues. In a pair of corresponding roster moves, Darin Ruf was placed on the 10-day injured list due to a neck strain, and lefty Alex Claudio was designated for assignment. Alvarez will serve as the Mets’ designated hitter today, batting seventh in his Major League debut.
Considered by most outlets to be among baseball’s ten best prospects — and considered the top prospect in the sport at MLB.com — Alvarez will cap off a monstrous season with his first call to the Majors. Splitting his time between Double-A and Triple-A this year, the 20-year-old slugger posted a combined .260/.374/.511 batting line with 27 home runs, 22 doubles, a 14.1% walk rate and a 24.8% strikeout rate in 495 plate appearances. He’s been on an absolute tear since returning from a stint on the minor league injured list earlier this month, mashing at a .362/.483/.596 clip over his past 58 plate appearances.
That’s a stark contrast to the veteran Ruf, acquired from the Giants prior to the trade deadline. The 36-year-old has been one of the game’s most potent bats against lefties in recent years but has stumbled to a dismal .152/.216/.197 batting line in 74 plate appearances as a Met — handily being outproduced by the same right-handed slugger for which he was traded; J.D. Davis is batting .280/.375/.525 in 136 trips to the plate as a Giant. (The Mets also sent lefty Thomas Szapucki and a pair of prospects to San Francisco in that swap.)
Alvarez’s first start will come against Braves southpaw Max Fried — a tough opponent but a favorable platoon matchup at least. In 132 plate appearances against southpaws in the minors this season, he’s raked at a .315/.424/.595 clip and slugged 15 extra-base hits (eight homers, seven doubles). Fried is (obviously) more than a cut above the quality of pitchers Alvarez has been facing in Double-A and Triple-A, but he’ll still add some right-handed thump in a pivotal series that could very well decide the winner of the National League East.
Claudio, 30, tossed 3 1/3 shutout innings with the Mets earlier this month, marking his ninth consecutive season with time spent on a Major League roster. A fixture in the bullpens of the Rangers and then the Brewers from 2014-20, Claudio struggled through a poor 2021 season with the Angels and subsequently spent the bulk of the current campaign in Triple-A. He posted a combined 3.44 ERA in 311 2/3 frames in that ’14-’20 stretch between Texas and Milwaukee before serving up a grisly 5.51 ERA in 32 2/3 innings as an Angel. He’s posted a 3.91 ERA in Syracuse this year, in addition to his 3 1/3 shutout innings for the Mets’ big league roster.
The Mets will place Claudio on outright waivers or release waivers within the next couple days. He has more than six years of Major League service time, so he’d be a free agent at season’s end regardless. It’s possible he’ll accept an outright in hopes of potentially being selected back to the roster in the event of an injury, but he’ll be a free agent this offseason regardless.
Ruf trade looking legendarily bad. Ruf might have played his last game as a Met.
Let’s hope
Definitely a Ruf trade for Eppler and the Mets. Hopefully the kid can hit the ground running and create some meaningful moments for himself and the Mets in the process. Good luck, will need it against tough Atlanta.
Mets gave up a ruf amount for ruf.
Should resign ruf as a reliever as the relief outing wasnt ruf.
Claudio is better than Joely Rodriguez. From what I’ve seen, he looks better than Drew Smith and Trevor May. Why not give him a chance instead of guys you know for sure aren’t good? Darin Ruf is basically on the phantom il to probably get Alvarez a spot on the postseason roster
OmG wOrLd SeRiEs
How many Cooperstown votes does Alvarez have already? Or do they grandfather Ike Davis’, Lastings Milledge’s, Fernando Martinez’s, Matt Harvey’s, Noah Syndergaard’s and Steven Matz’s Hall of Fame votes over to Alvaraez?
Whats crazy is he could have retired from baseball last week before making a major league debut and had more cooperstown votes than any catcher the marlins have had the last couple of years.
In 2 years he’ll be better than any hitter on the marlins. I don’t know why he is taking.
@Flyby
That’s more a reflection of Mets fans and the Mets beat writers than it is about the talent of Alvarez and the Marlins catchers.
BTW, keep an eye on Nick Fortes. The Marlins young catcher. But I’m sure you Mets fans will say something stupid about him just the same way you all did several years ago when I told Mets fans to keep an eye on some young catcher we had named JT Realmuto.
Wow week later reply … so you said to keep an eye on a young consensus top 100 bat but you give no credit to a pretty much consensus number 1 overall prospect. Yes everyone and their mother knew about Realmuto its like hey keep an eye on this young guy buster posey.
Fortes until his recent leg kick change last year really had no power even with the slightly improvement has been more of an average / contact hitter than a power hitter. I see him being more a tucker barnhardt before a jt realmuto.
speaking of which how is that trade sending out realmuto working out … look at how well sixto and jorge have done for them. seems like sixto will end the matt harvey route except he never really had a start. Outside of Alcantara the marlins are a shambles of a team.
Am i saying Alvarez will be the next bench or posey or any of those guys top tier guys. No but i think he could build a solid career with a couple of all star games when he hits hot streaks like a Posada.
Prospect predictions are stupid because most prospects fail to live up to expectations. For some reason, you Mets fans seem to never get that memo…no matter how many times you all have to eat crow for guys like Harvey, Ike Davis, Lastings Milledge, etc.
So the Marlins are a shambles outside of Alcantara? So he’s the only player they have? OK, if you say so. Amazing that some of you Mets never know what your division rivals have until they pass your team in the standings. You guys always say that with the Marlins, Phillies, Nats and Braves, but yet are the NL East team with the longest championship drought.
“Prospect predictions are stupid because most prospects fail to live up to expectations.”
“BTW, keep an eye on Nick Fortes. The Marlins young catcher. But I’m sure you Mets fans will say something stupid about him just the same way you all did several years ago when I told Mets fans to keep an eye on some young catcher we had named JT Realmuto.”
who made predictions on prospects here? … only you with your keep an eye on Fortes and Realmuto. Then when i bring in something actual from scouting reports which jive with what is happening you say prospect predictions are stupid. I made a statement that Alvarez would have more votes based on the marlins catchers not being worth a damn and not getting a single vote. Can you argue that Alfaro, stallings or even to this point fortes will be getting a vote at cooperstown except for a homer type vote?
You say the mets have to eat crow on Harvey, Davis, Milledge, etc. They probably would have been starters compared to what the marlins have put out there this year and last. Also when was the last time the Marlins drafted someone and brought them through the system that was actually worth a damn to the marlins outside of Realmuto? Your top 3 players on the team (Alcantara, Jazz, Wendle, Rojas and Lopez) were all trade acquisitions. The mets had degrom, murphy, McNeil, Alonso, Nimmo, and thats just off the top of my head. Yes murphy is a bit older but still a personal fave that got the shaft from the mets and the coupons.
So what your saying everyone (other than the Alcantara) you couldnt easily find a replacement on the FA or trade market. The only one i may give you is jazz (but hasnt been able to stay on the field for a full season yet) and lopez (still upside but is at best mid tier rotation at this point).
Yes i know other teams in the division. Am i as close to their prospects as i am with my favorite teams no, but I know the top guys and the ownership and their investing in the team. Going forward my terror level within the division would be the braves phillies then maybe the nationals (depending on what happens with the sale) and then the marlins.. The marlins are the equivalent of the royals IMHO. They can have a lot of hype around young players but almost everything has to go their way to move the needle. They dont have the consistency/resiliency of say the blue jays, rays, or most of the central teams.
I can’t recall when a prospect has been brought up with the pressure and hype of this 3 game series this late in the season, with the pennant/division on the line, and only 6 total games left in the season. Good luck to him. Gutsy move by the Mets.
“Gutsy”? The Mets have brought up three guys who failed. The Braves brought up three guys who excelled.
There’s a message in there.
The Mets are plain and simply a disaster of a franchise. They are lucky the season ends this week or their historic free fall would find them battling Philly and the Brewers for the right to get in.
What a stupid comment. They won 100 games. There has been no free fall. Since 6/1 they have been 20 games over .500. Braves have played other worldly baseball. If they are a disaster there’s 25 teams that would take their disaster of a record and resources in a heart beat. You’re just a clown.
Sure. Whatever it takes to make yourself feel better but blowing a 10.5 game lead is considered a disaster.
“J.D. Davis is batting .280/.375/.525 in 136 trips to the plate as a Giant. (The Mets also sent lefty Thomas Szapucki and a pair of prospects to San Francisco in that swap.)”
—Hilarious. Brilliant work, Billy!
The difference between JDD and Ruf after the trade is a whopping 2.2. WAR. The Mets would still be ahead of the Braves had they kept Davis.