CINCINNATI -- Nineteen days after severely spraining a right thumb ligament, and nine days after breaking his left pinky while rehabbing his first injury, Francisco Alvarez -- made of flesh, iron, or some combination therein -- returned to the Mets’ starting lineup.

The Mets activated Alvarez from the injured list on Friday and optioned Hayden Senger to Triple-A Syracuse, restoring their Opening Day catching tandem of Alvarez and Luis Torrens. That’s not to say Alvarez is at full strength. He’s still playing through both injuries, which he shrugged off multiple times when asked about them.

“I don’t have time to think about it, so I just keep going and think about playing and winning,” Alvarez said. “Those are the only two things going through my head right now, so I don’t think about t

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