WASHINGTON -- The New York Mets activated catcher Francisco Alvarez and second baseman Jeff McNeil from the injured list Friday, and both were in the lineup to make their season debut in the opener of a four-game series against the Washington Nationals.
Alvarez fractured the hamate bone in his left hand during practice March 8 and underwent surgery two days later. McNeil had been out since straining his right oblique March 10 in a spring training game.
The Mets have thrived despite the absence of both lineup mainstays. New York has won seven in a row and entered Friday 18-7, five games ahead of second-place Philadelphia in the NL East.