Injuries Stacking Up for Yankees & Mets

A little over two weeks before the 2025 Major League Baseball season begins and already it's feeling like desperation time for the New York Mets and Yankees as injuries to crucial players are stacking up.

On Sunday, the Mets got word that catcher Francisco Alvarez will hit the Injury List for upwards of six to eight weeks after fracturing the hamate bone in his left hand, an injury that will require surgery.

The blow has the potential to be huge.

Alvarez corked 25 homers and drove in 63 in his rookie year in 2023. Last year, he had only 11 homers, but his batting average jumped up from .209 his rookie year to .237 last season. It was expected that Alvarez would come into his own a bit here in 2025 and be a major lineup contributor out of the gate.

Now, the Mets will have to look from within to fix their catcher problems in the interim. Luis Torrens is not an explosive bat, but he proved to be a solid enough defensive catcher last season. His heads-up play against the Phillies in the London Series was a standout play of the Mets' turnaround in 2024.

When asked if he has any plans to look outside the organization for a catcher, President of Baseball Operations David Stearns reiterated that he is happy with what the Mets have in depth.

The other catchers in camp right now are Jackson Reetz who hit a home run on Sunday; Kevin Parada, once a much ballyhooed prospect in the Mets system, Chris Williams and Hayden Senger. In short, it might be time for the Mets to look outside the organization.

Alvarez joins a plethora of key Mets on the IL, including pitchers Sean Manaea, Frankie Montas, and infielder Nick Madigral. Brandon Nimmo is also sidelined with a knee injury.

Health is becoming a huge issue for the Mets as Opening Day approaches.

Gerrit Cole Looking at Tommy John Surgery

Meanwhile over in Tampa, things are not looking too good for the Yankees either. Gerrit Cole is starring down the barrel of missing the entire 2025 season should he go under the knife for Tommy John Surgery.

Cole has been bothered by elbow issues since last season when he missed the first 75 games of the season. The issues persisted this spring, and Cole went for tests. According to Jim Bowden of The Athletic, it was recommended that Cole seek Tommy John Surgery.

Without Cole, the Yankees rotation takes a huge hit. The Yankees were banking on a healthy Cole teaming up with free-agent pick-up Max Fried at the top of the rotation. Instead Fried will now have to be the ace.

The pressure on the starting rotation only ramps up even more with Luis Gil also sidelined for up to three months with a lat strain.

That means the likes of Carlos Rodon, Marcus Stroman, Will Warren, and possibly Carlos Carrasco will be tasked with filling out the back end of the rotation.

Meanwhile, more bad news could be on the horizon regarding Giancarlo Stanton. Stanton told reporters the injuries in his elbows are "severe" and there is a fear he could undergo season ending surgery as well.

Say what you will about Stanton, but without him, the Yankees probably don't make it to the Fall Classic last season. Stanton hit .273 with 7 homers and 16 RBI in the playoffs. He carried them against Kansas City, and before Juan Soto's Game 5 bomb in Cleveland, Stanton was the easy ALCS MVP choice.

For a team that went all the way to the World Series last season, the prospects of losing two key veteran pieces would be detrimental to the Yankees' plans this season.

Sure we are just a couple weeks away from Opening Day in all its glory. But it feels like it's getting late already for the two New York baseball clubs.