ATLANTA — Omar Narvaez is still something of a mystery man to his manager.
The veteran catcher missed much of spring training while he was representing his native Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic, then hit the injured list for the Mets with a left calf strain just a week into the regular season. Now that Narvaez is back, manager Buck Showalter would like to see what he’s about.
“I am still kind of familiarizing myself with him,” Showalter said Tuesday after inserting Narvaez into the starting lineup in the Mets’ 6-4 loss to the Braves at Truist Park. “It’s one thing to see a guy in spring training and another thing to see him. What we saw of him we liked and we’ll see what develops as the summer wears on.”
The return of Narvaez — who went 1-for-2 in the loss — at least initially, will cut into rookie Francisco Alvarez’s playing time.
Alvarez, after a torrid stretch, slumped on the Mets’ last home stand, in which he went 0-for-14 at the plate. But Alvarez helped carry the Mets’ lineup in May with a 1.029 OPS for the month.
Alvarez will start on Wednesday, according to Showalter, and beyond that the manager plans a “day-to-day” approach at catcher.
Omar Narvaez catches a foul ball during the Mets’ 6-4 loss to the Braves.Getty Images“Omar has been away from us for a couple of months, I am not going to let him sit around here and not play,” Showalter said. “I am hoping he can pick up where he left off — that would be hard to imagine — but he’s going to need to play. I am not going to let either one of them sit around and I am going to try to make use of both their skills and we’ll see how it develops, but I am excited to have two good catchers.
“[Narvaez] is a smart guy and knows how to call a game — a good receiver. Guys like throwing to him. He’s a threat with the bat.”
Narvaez, 31, arrived on a one-year contract last offseason worth $8 million. The deal contains a player option for 2024 worth another $7 million.
At the time, the Mets weren’t banking on the 21-year-old Alvarez emerging this season as a significant contributor at the major league level, but that prognosis has changed as he has wielded a mighty bat.
Would Showalter consider using Alvarez as the DH when Narvaez starts behind the plate?
“I am not as averse to that as some might be,” Showalter said, noting that the Mets would lose the DH in a game if Alvarez started in the spot and then had to move into the game on defense. “You would have to wait deep into the game before you did something as far as running or pinch hitting for [the catcher]. It’s something I would consider.”
Narvaez’s return meant removing Tomas Nido from the roster. Nido was designated for assignment Monday and will potentially be traded before the Mets have to place him on waivers this weekend. Other possibilities are Nido clearing waivers and declaring free agency or accepting an outright assignment to Triple-A Syracuse.
Showalter said the decision on Nido was reached before the Mets left Citi Field on Sunday to spare the catcher from traveling to Atlanta to receive the news that he had been DFA’d. Often, clubs wait until hours before a game to finalize such moves.
Showalter said he’s hopeful Nido will return to the organization.
“It was emotional, really for both of us,” Showalter said of his conversation with Nido on Sunday. “The flip side is we are happy to get Omar back. It’s been a long road for him.”
