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WASHINGTON — Francisco Alvarez’s season isn’t necessarily over, but the picture painted by the Mets on Tuesday wasn’t exactly rosy, either.

The catcher was diagnosed with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament in his right thumb that will need surgery, according to manager Carlos Mendoza.

The question is whether Alvarez can return beforehand and play through the injury, potentially helping the club to a postseason berth.

Alvarez, who injured the thumb diving into second base at the Little League Classic in Williamsport, Pa., on Sunday will be reevaluated in 10-14 days.

“We’ll see where he is after that, as far as gripping a bat and swinging it,” Mendoza said before the Mets faced the Nationals. “There are players in the past that have played through this and that is why we are giving this a chance right now. We want to give it a try.”

Alvarez underwent surgery last season for a torn UCL in his left thumb — he stumbled rounding first base at Dodger Stadium — and returned to the club after a seven-week rehab.

But that timeline doesn’t mesh with the remaining baseball schedule.

Mendoza indicated that even if Alvarez is cleared to play in the next 10-14 days he would still need a minor league rehab assignment. But the manager wouldn’t speculate on a best-case scenario for a return.

“Hopefully he gets to play down at Triple-A and he’s a player for us at some point before the season is over,” Mendoza said.

Mendoza called it a “positive” that the injury wasn’t to Alvarez’s receiving hand.

“The throwing we don’t think is going to be an issue,” Mendoza said. “It’s more swinging the bat. But that is kind of like why we are still optimistic, because it’s not the receiving hand.”

Dr. Daniel Seigerman, an orthopedic hand surgeon with Hackensack Meridian Health — he has not evaluated Alvarez — said pain tolerance and stability are the two factors that determine whether an athlete can play through such an injury.

“If [the thumb] is not unstable, it can be put in a splint,” Seigerman said. “If it’s just a sprain he can play wearing a small brace.”

It’s just the latest setback for the 23-year-old Alvarez, who underwent surgery for a broken hamate bone in his left hand during spring training and didn’t play his first game for the Mets this season until April 25.

But Alvarez struggled following his return, offensively and defensively, and was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse in late June to work on his game. Alvarez returned a month later and lately had emerged as one of the Mets’ top offensive threats, with a 1.059 OPS in August.

“Ever since he came back he had been feeling fantastic,” Francisco Lindor said, adding that he spoke with Alvarez on Tuesday and the catcher was optimistic he would return this season.

Luis Torrens will handle the bulk of the catching in Alvarez’s absence. Hayden Senger was recalled from Syracuse to serve as the backup.

Torrens is a skilled player defensively, particularly throwing out base runners, but struggled at the plate in his last stint as the starting catcher, with Alvarez in the minor leagues. Torrens overall owned a .581 OPS entering play.

With Alvarez on the IL to start the season, Torrens was one of the early sparks for the Mets. When Alvarez struggled, Torrens’ playing time increased but eventually there was a regression toward the mean for Torrens, a player with a lifetime .633 OPS.

“[Alvarez] has been playing really well and he’s a big guy for us,” Torrens said. “Hopefully he can come back soon. I will just try to do my best.”