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Prior to Thursday’s game against the Chicago Cubs, the New York Mets made changes to their catching depth chart, activating Tomás Nido from the injured list and assigning Gary Sánchez to duty. The assurance that young Francisco Alvarez will remain in the starting lineup for the major leagues is arguably the most important aspect of those accords.
Nido, 29, has been out of commission since early May due to eyesight problems brought on by dry eye syndrome, which he believes was caused by earlier LASIK eye surgery. He underwent a procedure that helps keep his eyes lubricated. Nido recently told press outlets, including MLB.com, that it “sort of eased the eye pressure that I had.” “I felt as though someone was pressing on my head. I experienced a headache for almost 72 hours straight.
Before being removed from the lineup, Nido had played in 19 games and had hit.118/.148/.118 (minus-24 OPS+) without any home runs or extra-base hits. Although he has never posed much of an offence risk, it seems to reason that his eye problems may have limited his potential to cause harm.
Sánchez, 30, played with the Mets in only 3 games. He had a run batted in and no extra-base hits while going 1 for 6 overall. After being released by the San Francisco Giants in May, he previously signed with the firm. It’s unclear whether he’ll find another major league job or decide to take on a small league endeavour.
Alvarez, 21, has 95 plate appearances and has hit.253/.316/.506 (124 OPS+) with six home runs. He began the season as the third-best minor league prospect according to CBS Sports. Alvarez is likely to continue to start the majority of games because veteran Omar Narváez is still out due to a calf injury he sustained in April.
The Mets have a 25-25 record overall heading into their video game on Thursday night.