After an extended stretch of poor performance, the Mets decided it was time to challenge Alvarez, unexpectedly demoting him to the minor leagues. It doesn’t take much to motivate Alvarez. Like the Energizer bunny, the 23-year-old is constantly on the move, pouring all of his energy into whatever task he’s doing.

Twenty-nine days later on Monday, the 23-year-old righthanded catcher – after mashing 11 homers in 19 minor-league games – was officially recalled and batted eighth in the Mets’ series opener against the Angels at Citi Field.

After tearing up Triple-A pitching for a few weeks, catcher Francisco Alvarez was recalled Monday by the New York Mets and immediately reinserted into the starting lineup.