Mets' Omar Narváez Placed on IL with Calf Injury; Francisco Álvarez to Be Called Up

A calf injury to Omar Narváez has opened the door for top prospect Francisco Álvarez to make his MLB debut.

The New York Mets announced on Thursday that Narváez will miss eight to nine weeks with a medium- to high-grade left calf strain.

Per Tim Healey of Newsday, Álvarez is expected to be called up before Friday's home opener against the Miami Marlins.

Narváez left Wednesday's 7-6 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers in the ninth inning after feeling discomfort in his calf.

"I felt tightness," he told reporters after the game. "I'd rather call it for a day and be safe for the next day. I couldn't put myself at risk for the whole season. I wasn't going to play the hero."

Tomás Nido took over for the final inning after Narváez was removed.

Healey did note it was unclear how the Mets will handle playing time between Álvarez and Nido, but the team's message during spring training was they want the 21-year-old playing every day if he's in the big leagues.

There was some hope from Mets fans the team would carry Álvarez on the Opening Day roster. However, he performed poorly with a .107/.194/.107 slash line in 28 spring at-bats before being sent to Triple-A on March 22.

MLB.com has Álvarez ranked as the second-best prospect in baseball, behind Arizona Diamondbacks centerfielder Corbin Carroll. He hit .260/.374/.511 with 27 homers in 112 games across two levels last season.

Álvarez did get a brief cup of coffee in Queens at the end of last season. He was called up on Sept. 30 and appeared in five games, hitting his first career home run in an 8-0 win over the Washington Nationals.

Narváez signed a one-year deal with the Mets in December after spending the previous three seasons with the Brewers. The 31-year-old has a .286/.353/.286 slash line in five games to start 2023.

After opening the season winning three out of four games against the Marlins, the Mets were swept in a three-game series against the Brewers.