Buck Showalter faces wide receiver stalemate with Tomas Nido’s imminent return – The Denver Post

CHICAGO — The roster crisis is coming soon for the Mets, possibly as early as this weekend, but the decision on which receivers to keep on the 26-man roster looms.

Tomas Nido, who has been on the 10-day injured list since May 10 with dry eye syndrome, is on duty with Low-A St. Lucie and is being considered day-to-day with a “schedule TBD.” . He is eligible for reinstatement. Manager Buck Showalter said he was battling some sort of illness in Port St. Lucie, although there is no indication as to whether or not this will affect the timing of his return.

Omar Narvaez (left calf strain) is scheduled to begin his rehab assignment Thursday with High-A Brooklyn. He’ll catch up on Thursday and Saturday, then continue the mission with Triple-A Syracuse. He’s eligible to be activated on June 5, but the Mets are out that day, so he wouldn’t be activated until June 6.

“We tried to be as conservative as possible with this,” Showalter said of Narvaez’s calf strain.

Gary Sanchez’s experiment had mixed results. Sanchez had a good game over the weekend in New York, going 1 for 3 with an RBI and earning praise from Max Scherzer, who said he appreciated the former Yankees catcher’s “creativity” behind the plate. .

But Tuesday in Chicago in a loss to the Cubs, Sanchez had a tough game. He was charged with a passed ball that scored a run, and he didn’t glove a routine pop-up behind the plate.

Francisco Alvarez was back in the lineup on Wednesday and Showalter said he plans to use him on Thursday as well. Alvarez has received praise from pitchers and coaches, who appreciate his eagerness to learn and willingness to work.

“His craving is through the roof,” Showalter said. “Being able to slow down a bit, I think comes from just settling in.”

Alvarez showed improvements to his framing and footwork behind the plate, but Showalter also pointed to another defensive improvement that stood out: supporting the first baseman.

“It’s fun to watch,” Showalter said.

Alvarez came into Wednesday’s game averaging .238 and five homers. The coaching staff worked with him to shorten his swing and he was better able to recognize how he is thrown.

Alvarez has options but not Sanchez and Nido. The Mets aren’t going to rush Narvaez given the sensitivity of his injury and they also seem content to take their time with Nido, but at some point a decision has to be made.

MORE INJURY UPDATES

Outfielder Tim Locastro underwent surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb on Tuesday.

Right-hander Sam Coonrod, who stretched his lat in spring training, runs through a throwing progression and throws from 105 feet. The Mets are targeting a July assignment for their winter acquisition.

Right-hander Elieser Hernandez kicked off a live batting practice Wednesday and will kick off another before the Mets assess his next move. Hernandez started the season on the injured list with a sprained right shoulder.

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