Narvaez agreed to a minor-league contract with the Astros on Wednesday, Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 Houston reports.
Narvaez was released by the Mets earlier this month after slashing .192/.254/.259 over 215 plate appearances since the start of the 2023 campaign. The left-handed-hitting catcher will offer experienced depth at Triple-A Sugar Land for now, but could be a candidate to join the big-league roster soon with Victor Caratini (hip) expected to be out until after the All-Star break.
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Omar Narvaez: Officially given release
Rotowire
The Mets released Narvaez on Wednesday.
The Mets will cover all of what remains of the two-year, $15 million contract Narvaez signed prior to the 2023 season. Narvaez hit a lowly .192/.254/.259 over 215 plate appearances with the Mets, but he should be able to find a backup catcher job somewhere now that he can be had at the prorated veteran minimum.
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Mets' Omar Narvaez: Designated for assignment
Rotowire
The Mets designated Narvaez for assignment on Friday, Andy Martino of SNY.tv reports.
Narvaez's two years in New York have been a disaster, as he posted a .580 OPS over 49 games in 2023 and has a .154/.191/.185 slash line in 28 games this year. Even with Francisco Alvarez (thumb) not yet back from the injured list, the Mets will look elsewhere for catching depth.
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Mets' Omar Narvaez: Playing second fiddle to Nido
Rotowire
Narvaez is absent from the lineup for Monday's contest versus the Cubs, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.
Narvaez started three of the first four games at catcher after Francisco Alvarez (thumb) got hurt and was placed on the injured list, but it's now been Tomas Nido behind the plate for four of the last five contests. The 32-year-old Narvaez is slashing just .204/.271/.284 as a Met since the beginning of last season.
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Mets' Omar Narvaez: Out against left-hander
Rotowire
Narvaez is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game in San Francisco, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.
The left-handed-hitting Narvaez started behind the plate Tuesday, but with southpaw Blake Snell on the hill for the Giants on Wednesday, the Mets will hand Narvaez the day off. Tomas Nido will handle the catching for the Mets.
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Mets' Omar Narvaez: Could be set for more work
Rotowire
Narvaez went 0-for-4 after replacing Francisco Alvarez (thumb) in the second inning of Friday's win over the Dodgers.
Alvarez was headed for an MRI after the game, but per Tim Healey of Newsday, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza is "pretty concerned" about the severity of the injury. As the only other catcher on the 40-man roster, Narvaez figures to see a big spike in his playing time should Alvarez land on the IL, but that may not result in much additional fantasy value -- since 2022, the 32-year-old sports a .208/.288/.300 slash line in 467 plate appearances with only six homers. Tomas Nido, who was in camp this spring as a non-roster invitee, is batting .345 (10-for-29) for Triple-A Syracuse and would likely be promoted to take Alvarez's spot, but his career numbers in the majors aren't any better than Narvaez's performance the last few years.
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Mets' Omar Narvaez: Set to back up Alvarez
Rotowire
Narvaez will open the season as the Mets' No. 2 catcher behind Francisco Alvarez.
This was the expected role for Narvaez after he played 49 games in 2023 during his first season with New York, slashing a weak .211/.283/.297 with only two homers and seven RBI. The 32-year-old's days as a fantasy asset are behind him, and even if Alvarez were to get hurt, Narvaez would likely split work behind the plate with Tomas Nido, who will begin the season with Triple-A Syracuse.
Narvaez exercised his $7 million player option for 2024 on Thursday.
As expected, the 31-year-old will return next season as the backup to young Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez. Narvaez slashed just .211/.283/.297 over 49 games (146 plate appearances) in 2023, but he is a good defender behind the plate and had the player option in hand.
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Mets' Omar Narvaez: Gets starting nod in series opener
Rotowire
Narvaez will start at catcher and bat seventh in Monday's game against the Rangers, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.
Narvaez will pick up his second start in three games while No. 1 backstop Francisco Alvarez rests. The Mets have suggested that the 22-year-old Alvarez could have his catching workload managed down the stretch, so Narvaez could end up moving into more a timeshare behind the plate in September rather than serving as a clear No. 2 option. Narvaez is slashing .205/.294/.341 with one home run, three RBI and four runs in 16 games since the All-Star break.
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Mets' Omar Narvaez: Launches first homer
Rotowire
Narvaez went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in Thursday's 6-2 loss to the White Sox.
Narvaez got the Mets on the board in the fifth inning with a solo homer off Michael Kopech, his first of the year, cutting the deficit to 2-1. Narvaez had been struggling at the plate while shifting to a backup role behind Francisco Alvarez -- he'd gone just 1-for-19 over his previous 11 games. Overall, the 31-year-old Narvaez is slashing just .209/.294/.279 with six runs scored and four RBI through 51 plate appearances.
The Mets reinstated Narvaez (calf) from the 60-day injured list Monday, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.
Narvaez is finally ready to roll after missing the past two months with a severe calf strain. Francisco Alvarez has seized the Mets' starting catcher job, but Narvaez should still play at least a couple times per week when Alvarez is serving as a designated hitter or receiving a day off.
Mets manager Buck Showalter said Narvaez (calf) will move his rehab assignment from High-A Brooklyn to Triple-A Syracuse on Tuesday, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.
Showalter added that Narvaez is on pace to return from the 60-day injured list at the beginning of next week, when the backstop is first eligible for activation. Narvaez opened the season as the Mets' No. 1 catcher but played in just five games before suffering a left calf strain. He's since gotten two rehab games under his belt and will make a few more appearances for Syracuse this week, but Narvaez may have to settle for the No. 2 role once he's activated with Francisco Alvarez having provided the Mets with a major spark on offense since he was called up from Triple-A.
