PHILADELPHIA — Francisco Alvarez’s ninth-inning home run Saturday night wasn’t enough to keep him in a Mets uniform.
The struggling catcher was optioned on Sunday to Triple-A Syracuse, where he will have an opportunity to refine his game offensively and defensively away from the spotlight.
It leaves Luis Torrens as the starting catcher — Hayden Senger was recalled from Syracuse and will serve as the backup.
The 23-year-old Alvarez owns a .236/.319/.333 slash line with three homers and 11 RBIs on 35 games for the Mets this season. Alvarez didn’t begin playing for the team until late April after undergoing surgery in spring training for a broken hamate bone in his left hand.
Alvarez’s struggles have also occurred behind the plate. Most recently, he threw to the wrong base in the 10th inning of a loss to the Braves, allowing the eventual winning run to reach third.
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Alvarez struggled offensively for much of last season after returning from surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left thumb.
Alvarez hit one of the Mets’ seven homers in their 11-4 victory over the Phillies on Saturday as the team snapped a seven-game losing streak.