Mets place catcher Francisco Alvarez on 10-day IL with left thumb injury

LOS ANGELES — The Mets don’t yet know the extent of Francisco Alvarez’s left thumb injury, but they do know that the injury will sideline him for more than 10 days, which is why an injured list stint was necessary.

The catcher was placed on the 10-day injured list Saturday with the sprain and Tomás Nido was called up from Triple-A Syracuse. The veteran backstop flew from Charlotte on Saturday morning and will join the team when he arrives. The Mets also designated left-hander Kolton Ingram for assignment to clear space for Nido on the 40-man roster.

Alvarez underwent X-rays and imaging Friday night in Los Angeles and was still being evaluated as of early Saturday morning, leaving the Mets with little information on the severity of the injury.

“You hate to see it,” manager Carlos Mendoza said Saturday morning at Dodger Stadium. “We don’t know how long he’s going to be out for. We know how much energy he brings and the way he is playing, but at the same time, I’m pretty comfortable. Like we always say, it’s the next guy up. It’s an opportunity here for Nido and [Omar] Narvaez to step up.”

Alvarez, a 22-year-old rising star, was hitting .236 with two doubles, a home run, eight RBIs and four walks. He worked diligently over the offseason to improve his defense and framing and takes great pride in his detailed work with the pitching staff.

The Venezuelan is known as one of the more outgoing players in the clubhouse, bringing positive, contagious energy nightly.

“You feel for him,” shortstop Francisco Lindor said following the Mets’ 9-4 win over the Dodgers. “He’s one of the happiest guys on the team. To see somebody like that without a smile on his face, it’s unfortunate.”

Alvarez is also known to be tough.

“It takes a lot to get him off the field,” Lindor added.

The injury occurred Friday night in the top of the second inning when he slid to second base and caught his thumb in the dirt. Narvaez took over behind the plate, catching Sean Manaea in the series opener against the Dodgers.

The backup catchers are not typically in the pregame meetings with the pitchers and the staff, but Narvaez handled the job with ease.

“Narvy stepped up today,” Lindor said. “And quick, he wasn’t supposed to play, but he goes in and figures out the game. That says a lot about his preparation.”

Narvaez, in the second year of a two-year contract with the Mets, is hitting .217 with a double and three RBIs. He’s 0 for 16 on stolen base attempts. Nido, a homegrown catcher squeezed out last year with the emergence of Alvarez, is off to a hot start in Triple-A, hitting .345 with an .862 OPS, two doubles and a home run. He’s a solid defensive catcher capable of handling a big league pitching staff.

“Nido is a guy who has done it before and so is Narvy,” Mendoza said. “They’ve been pretty successful catchers at this level.”