CINCINNATI — Buck Showalter reevaluated his plan to give Francisco Alvarez a day off Thursday, perhaps recognizing the Mets rookie catcher has been a productive piece lately to an underachieving lineup.

Alvarez was behind the plate for the matinee following a night game and was the only Mets player with multiple hits in the team’s 5-0 loss to the Reds.

The 21-year-old Alvarez went 2-for-3, including a seventh-inning double.

The Mets managed only six hits in the game.

If Alvarez rested, the Mets would have turned to Michael Perez, who was selected from Triple-A a day earlier after Tomas Nido was placed on the injured list with dry-eye syndrome — a condition that has affected his vision.

Showalter cited the fact that Wednesday’s game lasted only 2 hours, 35 minutes as a reason he didn’t mind bringing back Alvarez for the matinee.

“One of the benefits of some of the faster games is not as much wear and tear on the catchers,” Showalter said. “He looks at us like we’re crazy when he doesn’t catch.”

The manager also wanted to let Alvarez catch Kodai Senga for the first time.

Showalter hadn’t reached a final decision after the game whether he will start Tylor Megill or Joey Lucchesi on Friday against the Nationals.

Whoever doesn’t get the start likely will pitch Saturday, according to Showalter, with Max Scherzer now a consideration for Sunday at the earliest.

Scherzer is showing gradual improvement, according to Showalter, from the neck spasms that scratched him from his Tuesday start, but is still dealing with discomfort.

Lucchesi last pitched Sunday — on short rest — and allowed three earned runs over four innings against the Rockies.

Megill started the previous day.

With the Mets looking to potentially remove Brooks Raley from the injured list before Saturday’s game — the team has been playing short in the bullpen — it’s possible that whoever starts Friday’s game will be optioned to Triple-A Syracuse afterward to create roster space for Raley.