The Mets are still sitting four games behind the Phillies in the division, but right now, they’re riding an incredible hot streak. Since August 12th, capped off with Tuesday night’s 6-5 walk-off win over Philly, they’ve piled up 99 runs. That’s an average of 7.1 runs per game, the best mark in the majors over that stretch. Or, look at their last 10 games.

The Mets have won seven of them, and most recently, they swept the division-leading Phillies. But while things are clicking at the big-league level, there’s some bad news brewing in the minors. This time involving Francisco Alvarez!

“Francisco Alvarez has left the game for Triple-A Syracuse after being hit on the hand,” SNY Mets shared the report.

Alvarez and injuries seem to go hand in hand. Dating back to 2024, when he landed on the 15-day IL with a left thumb sprain, to this past March when he fractured his left hamate bone during live BP, Alvarez has had his share of setbacks. However, amid his rehab season in the minors, he’s been on fire, batting .259 with 12 homers. That surge had the Mets eyeing him as a potential late-season boost with their playoff chances climbing.

But those plans now hit a wall. Reportedly, in his first game back on a Triple-A rehab assignment after spraining his right thumb against Seattle on Aug. 17, Alvarez was forced to leave in the sixth inning. Already 1-for-2 with a double, he got drilled on the left hand by an 89 mph sinker from Sean Boyle. Clearly in pain, he took his time walking to first before trainers pulled him for a pinch-runner.

However, the bigger worry for the Mets, though, is the timing. This latest setback comes less than 10 days after Alvarez sprained the ulnar collateral ligament in his right thumb. An injury that will ultimately require surgery once the season wraps up.

Alvarez is too hard to miss by the Mets

The Mets are clearly eager to get Alvarez back this season, especially since he was tearing it up after his brief demotion. Notably, he’s slashing .323/.408/.645 over 21 games. And in his absence, Luis Torrens and Hayden Senger have been splitting time behind the plate, but neither brings the kind of offensive punch Alvarez does. So, that’s a problem the Mets can’t afford once October rolls around.

So, what’s next for the Mets?

Well, they reportedly planned to keep him catching, since the injury isn’t to his glove hand. But if throwing ends up being painful while hitting isn’t, they were ready to shift him into a DH role. The catch? That would eat into at-bats for guys like Starling Marte and Mark Vientos, who are both swinging hot bats.

“That’s a tough one,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “But if he’s swinging the bat the way he was swinging it before he went down, you’ve got to find a way to get him in there as much as you can.”

For now, Alvarez can keep playing until he eventually needs surgery, with the risk being that the ligament could fully tear and force the procedure sooner. But after this latest hit-by-pitch, the Mets may need to rethink things with him yet again. You can say it’s a wait-and-see situation.