The Philadelphia Phillies' biggest competition for the NL East this season has been the New York Mets. They're now a little weaker of an opposition after an injury to catcher Francisco Alvarez. Alvarez was starting to heat up, but now his sidelining might lead to them falling even further out of the division race.
Alvarez was diagnosed with an ulnar collateral ligament sprain in his right thumb and was placed on the 10-day injured list on Tuesday. It could require surgery, but the Mets will see if he can continue to play through it after a couple of weeks off and a subsequent rehab assignment, per MLB.com's Anthony DiComo.
This comes at a perfect time for the Phillies, as Alvarez was just starting to heat up offensively. This also isn't the first time Alvarez has missed time this season due to injury.
Francisco Alvarez needs thumb surgery, per Carlos Mendoza. But the Mets are going to see if he can play through it. "We're hopeful," Mendoza said. However, there's a chance he's done for the year if he can't.
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) August 19, 2025
Phillies gain an edge over Mets as Francisco Alvarez lands on injured list
Since getting recalled from a Triple-A demotion on July 21, Alvarez is hitting .323, with a 1.053 OPS, including going 6-for-12 in his last three games against the Seattle Mariners. Now, he'll have to grapple with a season-altering decision. Either way, it makes the Phillies' job easier for a shot at back-to-back division titles.
The Phillies are reeling over their own loss of ace Zack Wheeler. The difference, though, is that the Mets have continued to flounder and can't afford to keep losing starters. Since Aug. 1, the Mets are 4-11, while the Phillies have gone 12-6 over that span. New York is 11-16 since July 15, so there's no questioning the struggles they've experienced.
The Phillies haven't been the strongest team and even fell victim to a bit of a stumble in the second half, but they've rebounded and now have a .258 team batting average on the year, which ranks third-best in MLB. They've made big adjustments to be among the best offensive teams in baseball. The Mets, meanwhile, have had a tough time at the plate in the second half and have a team batting average of .244, which ranks 19th.
The NL East still has a lot of ironing out to do over the final weeks of the regular season, but it could get interesting rather quickly. The Phillies square off against the Mets seven more times before all is said and done and very well could see them again in the playoffs. After completing their sweep of the Mariners on Wednesday, the Phillies hold a six-game lead in the division, so they need to keep taking advantage while their opposition is reeling.