The New York Mets have sent one of their top young players to Triple-A. Catcher Francisco Alvarez, who has struggled at the plate since returning from surgery to treat a broken hamate, has been optioned to the minors, the Mets announced Sunday. Fellow catcher Hayden Senger has been called up in a corresponding move.

In a somewhat surprising move, the Mets sent Francisco Alvarez back to the minor leagues Sunday, optioning him to Triple-A Syracuse and calling up catcher Hayden Senger to take his spot.

Despite a refined control of curbing opponents' run games, throwing out nine out of 27 base-stealers, Alvarez has made three errors and allowed two passed balls. His framing, once viewed as a strength, has not been as strong.