New York Mets DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez is behind the dish and is hitting cleanup on Monday against right-hander Reese Olson and the Detroit Tigers. It's the first time this year that Alvarez has hit higher than sixth in New York's batting order, but he'll be in the cleanup spot for the start of the series against Detroit with Jeff McNeil on the bench. The 22-year-old backstop is off to a good start at the plate in the first three games of the season, recording five hits in his first 10 at-bats with a home run, two RBI and three runs scored in 11 plate appearances. He may not be of much help in the batting average department, but after slugging 25 long balls in his first full season in 2023, Alvarez proved that he has high-end power at the catching position.

New York Mets second baseman Jeff McNeil is on the bench for Monday's contest against the Detroit Tigers. McNeil went just 1-for-11 over the weekend in the three-game sweep at the hands of the Milwaukee Brewers to begin the season, so the Mets are giving McNeil a day off early to regroup. It's not a great sign for the two-time All-Star after he hit .270/.333/.378 a year after winning the National League batting title in 2022. With the 31-year-old on the bench to start the game on Monday, Joey Wendle will take over at second base for the Mets and will hit ninth against Tigers young right-hander Reese Olson. Wendle is more useful for his infield versatility and is a long shot to deliver meaningful offensive numbers in DFS on Monday.

The New York Mets have placed right-hander Tylor Megill on the 15-day injured list due to a right shoulder strain. The 28-year-old won a spot in the Mets' rotation to begin the season but was removed from his first start of the season on Sunday after four innings due to what was initially described as tenderness in his right shoulder. An MRI revealed the strain. Megill made 25 starts with the Mets last season but posted a 4.70 ERA alongside a weak 5.6% K-BB% in his 126 1/3 innings of work. A strong spring that saw him toss a 3.92 ERA in six outings with 23 strikeouts against six walks in 20 2/3 innings earned him a shot in the rotation to begin the season but he will hit the shelf for at least the next couple of weeks.UPDATE: Megill said he won't throw for the next five days, but the plan is for him to begin ramping up again after that. He sees it as the type of shoulder strain that will knock him out for a couple of starts rather than the type that could cost him significant time.

New York Mets catcherFrancisco Alvarezhad a big day at the plate on Saturday, going 3-4 with a solo shot and recording two RBI with two runs in the Mets 7-6 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers. Alvarez provided the Mets only offense early with his solo homer coming in the second inning and hitting an RBI single in the third. It was a good sign to see after going hitless on Opening Day. Alvarez is hitting .429 (3-for-7) with a home run and two RBI over two games in 2024. The Mets catcher should continue to put up productive numbers as one of the top 10-rated fantasy catchers for 2024.

New York Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said that the team will need one to two more weeks before hammering down a concrete throwing plan for right-hander Kodai Senga (shoulder). Senga is currently playing catch every other day. The 31-year-old second-year hurler is recovering from a right-shoulder capsular strain that he suffered in spring training and is expected to take at least six weeks to ramp up before making his 2024 season debut for the Mets. The team is proceeding cautiously after Senga was one of their most consistent starters in 2023 in his first year in the States. Despite the fact that Senga will be on the shelf for a while to open the year, he needs to remain stashed in an injured list spot in all fantasy leagues.