has been known to be dealing with an over the final six weeks of the season that he was capable of playing through but would eventually require him to go under the knife. That eventuality has now arrived, as relayed today that Alvarez is set to have surgery to repair the UCL in his right thumb in the coming days. An exact timeline for Alvarezs return to regular baseball activities wont be known until he undergoes the procedure, but the surgery should not be expected to impact his 2026 campaign. The typical timeline for recovery from the procedure is between six and seven weeks; famously underwent the procedure back in early June of 2017 and was back in the lineup when the Angels returned from the All-Star break. A similar timeline would put Alvarez in line to return to his regular Matt Quarells Jersey offseason activities before the new year, a suming no setbacks. Once hes recovered from the procedure, Alvarez will prepare for a 2026 season where hell look to build on a brilliant second-half performance. After scuffling badly throughout the first half of the season, Alvarez was optioned to Triple-A in late June. Since being recalled near the end of July, however, hes been one of the better hitters in baseball with an incredible .276/.360/.561 slash line. That tear came acro s a sample size of just 41 games and 139 plate appearances, but the hot stretch still inspires some confidence in the longtime top prospects bat after his first two years in the big leagues saw him post results that generally hovered around league average. Once a consensus top-10 prospect in the sport and still just 23 years old, theres plenty of reason for optimism about Alvarezs future even as he receives mixed grades for his work behind the plate and has not yet found consistency with the bat. In both areas, Alvarez has shown flashes of greatne s at times, such as his aforementioned hot streak in the second half of this year at the plate and his phenomenal defensive numbers in 108 games behind the plate back in 2023. If the youngster manages to find the consistency nece sary to offer even a facsimile of that production over a full season, hell be on the shortlist for the very best catchers in baseball. That would surely be a welcome development for the Mets, who relied on the well-regarded defender behind the plate when Alvarez was in the minors or injured this year. Strong as Torrens is with the glove, he hit just .226/.284/.345 in 92 games this year. That wont cut it for a primary catcher, especially for a team that figures to risk losing star slugger in free agency this winter after his recent announcement that hell be of his contract this November. Alvarez figures to be a core piece of the club as they look to get back into the postseason next year, and if all goes well its not impo sible to imagine him joining and as a middle-of-the-order threat for the Mets next year. Gennings Dunker Jersey