MILWAUKEE — The Mets appear to have avoided the worst when it comes to Francisco Alvarez. The catcher was not in the lineup Saturday, one night after being removed from a game with back spasms, but he should be available off the bench in the second game of a three-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers. Alvarez worked out Saturday afternoon and took batting practice. As he walked off the field, manager Carlos Mendoza noted that he looked “pretty good.” “I think we have a player,” Mendoza said. “It was pretty scary. Yesterday, I was in the clubhouse when he came in and didn’t look too good, but by the time we got out of the ballpark, he was in a way better spot. Came in today and same thing.” However, it could be more beneficial to have Luis Torrens behind the plate this weekend. Alvarez struggled to block pitches in the dirt and control the running game Friday night, with the Brewers stealing six bases combined against Alvarez and Torrens. Milwaukee has a group of aggressive runners who get good jumps and Torrens has been more effective at throwing out runners than Alvarez this season. However, Mendoza said it starts with the pitchers, deflecting criticism off of his young catcher. “There’s a lot of noise with Alvarez, but I think it starts on the mound,” Mendoza said. “We’ve got to give the catchers a chance. [The Brewers] are really good. They’re not only fast, but they’ve got information, they’re going to pick some tips if they have it. And so we got to do a good job of protecting our house.” The Brewers clearly did their homework on Alvarez, who has allowed 63 stolen bases this season and caught only 14 runners stealing. He’s also allowed 40 wild pitches and been charged with 10 passed balls, both of which were a problem in Friday night’s loss. Statcast ranks Alvarez well below average when it comes to blocking, but his pop times and framing are rated well. Pitchers love throwing to him and they feel like he handles the umpires well. Speaking of umpires, Alvarez said he planned to apologize to Ramon De Jesus, who rang him up on a pitch below the zone Friday night after a 10-pitch at-bat. Alvarez snapped at the home plate ump out of frustration and felt badly about it. “I really think I was doing too much,” Alvarez said. “He’s just missing a pitch and he’s a person too, so he can miss pitches. But in the moment, the game [went] faster to me. When he [made] that call, I had a bad expression. I really don’t have to do that, so I’m going to say sorry tomorrow, and let’s keep going.” Mendoza came to Alvarez’s defense and was ejected by De Jesus. The skipper appreciates that his young catcher intends to make things right, but didn’t have a problem with the way he handled himself. “We’re competing, and he reacted the way he reacted because every pitch and every at-bat means something,” Mendoza said. “He put together a hell of an at-bat, he thought he walked and before you know it, he’s walking back to the dugout. So he showed frustration, which is normal, but that’s why I jumped in there… “He knows they’re human, he knows they’re working hard. We’ll move on.” As for an apology from Mendoza? De Jesus shouldn’t expect one. “I don’t think I need to,” Mendoza said. LINDOR’S STATUS Francisco Lindor was in the lineup as the DH Saturday and Luisangel Acuña played shortstop. The Mets insist they are comfortable with using Lindor at shortstop while he’s fighting through back pain, but the shortstop is still having trouble bending over. After playing all nine at shortstop Friday night for the first time in two weeks, the Mets decided to use him at DH to give him a defensive breather. “I just thought that after having him down for 10-11 days, throwing back-to-back on the field is not ideal,” Mendoza said. “The fact that he’s in the lineup, we have to try and keep it that way as long as possible.” TRAINER’S ROOM The Mets won’t be getting any injured pitchers back soon. Right-hander Kodai Senga (triceps soreness) has no tentative date for a live bullpen session, Paul Blackburn is still experiencing back pains and reliever Sean Reid-Foley (shoulder impingement) is out for the rest of the season. However, infielder Jeff McNeil had X-rays on his fractured wrist Friday and is expected to start strengthening the joint in the coming days in anticipation of starting baseball activities. McNeil is working out in California when he resides in the offseason. With his wife, Tatiana, close to giving birth to their second child, the Mets let him return to his Central Coast home to continue rehabbing. The team hasn’t ruled out a return for McNeil in the postseason, should the Mets make it and advance.