Mets' Francisco Alvarez in the dugout during his game against...

Mets' Francisco Alvarez in the dugout during his game against the San Diego Padres at Citi Field on Oct. 9, 2022. Credit: Newsday/Thomas A. Ferrara

Francisco Alvarez wound up needing surgery after all.

After a right ankle injury sidelined him for a couple of weeks near the end of the season, Alvarez had a procedure Tuesday to address cartilage damage in that ankle, a team spokesman said in a statement.

The Mets expect Alvarez, who turns 21 next month, to be fully healthy for the start of spring training in February.

In posting photos of himself in a hospital gown and his ankle in a cast, Alvarez wrote in Spanish on Instagram that “everything went super well” and “I’m ready to run and everything” (the latter followed by a laughing emoji).

Alvarez’s surgery came nine days after his and the Mets’ season ended with a loss to the Padres in the NL Wild Card Series. He struck out in his only at-bat in the best-of-three set, but that he was on the roster at all was a testament to his successful year, in which Alvarez opened with zero experience above Single-A and ended as a surprise late-season call-up and the youngest player in the majors.

In between, Alvarez, a catcher and the Mets’ top prospect, had a .260/.374/.511 slash line, 27 homers and 78 RBIs in the upper minors. Then he went 2-for-12 (with a double and a homer) in five games in the majors.

Alvarez missed close to three weeks in late August and early September with what the Mets called a “loose body” in his right ankle. They considered surgery at the time but settled at the time to treat the pain, allowing Alvarez to play through the end of the season.

After the season, Alvarez had another round of medical imaging done, according to the Mets. They attributed the cartilage damage to the loose body.

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