Mets have been rolling since return of ‘leader’ Francisco Alvarez

For the first time since May 7, the Mets are back at .500 (39-39).

There are plenty of reasons for the turnaround, and among the top is the return of Francisco Alvarez.

He was in the lineup again Wednesday against the Yankees, and the Mets improved to 22-3 in the past 25 games in which the catcher has played — a stretch that began prior to his IL stint due to surgery to repair a sprained left thumb.

Then he went out Wednesday and reached base in all four plate appearances in a 12-2 win at Citi Field.

Alvarez hit his fourth homer of the season — and third homer in his past five games — with a third-inning, opposite-field blast to right-center off a 98 mph four-seam fastball from Luis Gil that was up in the strike zone.

Asked what he’d think as a catcher of someone who did that at the plate, Alvarez smiled and said, “I’d think he’s a great hitter.”

The home run was the 30th of Alvarez’s career, making him just the fourth catcher in MLB history to reach that number before turning 23.

The others are Johnny Bench, Ivan Rodriguez and Darrell Porter.

He also doubled in the fifth, although that was mostly due to a misplay in right by Juan Soto. And Alvarez’s single in the sixth gave him his third three-hit game in his past eight.

It continued his recent torrid stretch in which he’s pulled his OPS from .579 on June 15 to .904.

After Wednesday, he had the second-highest OPS among Mets regulars, trailing only Mark Vientos.

Carlos Mendoza credited Alvarez for his impact on the team on both sides of the ball.

“His ability to know the pitching staff and his presence in the dugout,” Mendoza said prior to the game. “His at-bats of late have been great. He’s able to do damage. He’s a leader.”

That leadership, according to Mendoza, has been especially evident in his work with the pitchers.

“For a young player, he’s taken charge of the pitching staff,’’ Mendoza said. “He’s got conviction, he’s a pretty good receiver and he shuts down the running game.”

And Alvarez has been an integral part in the offense’s having come alive in recent weeks.

Wednesday marked Alvarez’s third straight game hitting fifth in the order and he is in the midst a torrid eight-game stretch in which he is 15-for-27 (.556) with four doubles, three homers and seven walks.

Getting Alvarez back in a groove at the plate has been integral to the Mets’ entering the NL wild-card race. And it’s come with his wearing a splint on his injured thumb that some feared would be detrimental to his game.

But Alvarez said he used the IL stint to his advantage, watching the game and letting it slow down. The splint, he said, was “very uncomfortable” when he first returned, but is now much better.

Whatever Alvarez and the Mets are doing, it’s working.