Mets' Francisco Alvarez helped off the field with back spasms vs. Brewers

MILWAUKEE — Francisco Alvarez felt a sudden surge of tightness in his back as he lunged and slid into third base during the seventh inning of the Mets' game against the Brewers on Friday at American Family Field.

After Alvarez needed to be helped off the field, the Mets announced that Alvarez was dealing with back spasms.

"This is the first time I felt something like that, so that’s why I was feeling bad," Alvarez said after the game. "I was feeling scared. But right now, I feel very, very good."

After undergoing a massage and stretching after the game, Alvarez said he was feeling better but would not commit to whether he would be available for Saturday's game.

"I feel my body is doing way better," Alvarez said. "I just feel a little bit tight. Let’s see tomorrow how it’s going to feel and let’s see if I can play tomorrow."

Luis Torrens entered the game as a pinch-runner and remained in the game behind the plate. Carlos Mendoza said that the Mets have options in St. Lucie, if Alvarez is forced to hit the shelf.

Alvarez's injury added another woe for the Mets, who fell to the Brewers, 8-4, in the teams' series opener. The Brewers had scored eight runs on eight hits, five walks, six stolen bases and a grand slam by Rhys Hoskins.

Mendoza was ejected in the top of the fourth inning for arguing a called strike-three on Alvarez that ended the inning with two runners on base.

Alvarez has endured a rough second full season with the Mets. He's slashing .233/.306/.400 with 11 home runs, 44 RBI and 37 runs in 97 games, with opponents stealing successfully 84.8 percent of the time against him.

Earlier in the season, Alvarez missed more than seven weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left thumb.

Now, the Mets have additional questions surrounding their starting catcher during their playoff push.

"We gotta wait. He's moving better now," Mendoza said after the game. "When he first came out, he didn't look too good. But then for the past 30 minutes or so, he's walking around feeling definitely better. We'll see how he's feeling tomorrow and see what we got."

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Mets' Francisco Alvarez helped off the field with back spasms vs. Brewers