The New York Mets activated catcher Francisco Alvarez and second baseman Jeff McNeil from the injured list, and both were in the lineup to make their season debut in the opener of a four-game series against the Washington Nationals.

The Mets, already atop not only the National League East but MLB as a whole, have made do for the past four weeks without two of their key players. Prior to the opener of New York’s four-game series vs.

The Mets activated catcher Francisco Alvarez from the IL ahead of Friday's series-opener with the Nationals in Washington, D.C., adding a jolt to their roster.