MIAMI -- Three weeks ago, a determined Eddy Alvarez wasn't shy about stating that his ultimate goal was a return to The Show. Fresh off making history as one of six athletes -- regardless of country -- to medal in both the Winter and Summer Olympics, Alvarez visited loanDepot park and caught up with former teammates and coaches.

On Tuesday the Marlins selected Alvarez’s contract and started him at second base, and he picked up an RBI double in a 9-4 loss to the Mets. He received the call at 10:30 p.m. ET Monday from Triple-A Jacksonville manager Al Pedrique, packed with his wife and kid and made the drive Tuesday morning. Alvarez said he was running on "Cuban coffee and excitement."

"Last time we talked, the goal was to get back here, and I've been presented this opportunity, so now it's just to kind of go about my business," Alvarez said. "What I've been doing in Triple-A, what I've kind of been doing all year, especially with the stopping of playing and then keep playing, up-and-down kind of situation. I'm ready for this opportunity again, and I'm just excited to be here."

The 31-year-old Alvarez made his Major League debut on Aug. 5, 2020, and he appeared in 12 games for the hometown Marlins before being designated for assignment. He stayed in the organization and began the '21 season in the Minors prior to prepping for the Tokyo Olympics.

Alvarez, who won a silver medal in the 5000-meter relay as a member of the United States Olympic speed skating team in Sochi in 2014, kept a diary for MLB.com about his journey this time around. Across six games, he went 6-for-24 with four runs and three RBIs, as USA Baseball lost to Japan in the gold medal contest.

"In terms of Eddy Alvarez and him being a member of the Marlins' organization, couldn't be any prouder," GM Kim Ng said in mid-August. "This guy came in, he had the two medals. He said, 'I'd be really honored if you'd wear them,' so I put both medals on, we took some pictures. It was really cool.

"I think for an athlete like Eddy to be in both the Winter Olympics as well as the Summer Olympics, I think realizing all the sacrifices he's made in his life on both the skating side as well as the baseball side, and the fact that he got to be here with his little one who's just turned 1, and got to celebrate here and us celebrate him. I think that was incredibly profound and meaningful to him, and therefore to us. I'm not sure that we could have asked for a better representative. If you know Eddy -- and I got to know him some in Spring Training -- this kid is a first-class act, and so we just couldn't be prouder."

Alvarez becomes the fifth member of USA Baseball's squad to reach the Majors since returning from Japan. Unlike his MLB stint last season or the Summer Games, his family and friends will be able to watch him play in person.

With Jesús Aguilar (left knee soreness) a late scratch Tuesday and shortstop Miguel Rojas (left trapezius soreness) needing another day, manager Don Mattingly was able to insert Alvarez into the lineup. He has appeared at second and third base, shortstop and left field in his professional career.

"Eddy kind of plays all over the diamond," Mattingly said before announcing the new order. "He's that guy. He's got a little bit of [Jon] Berti, he can play the outfield, he plays a lot of different spots on the infield, so we're going to be able to use Eddy for sure."

So what can Alvarez take away from his Olympics experience in his return? Slowing the game down, because it can be overwhelming, especially with the intensity and stress that comes with the big leagues.

"Control the emotions, that's a huge thing," Alvarez said. "I've never been in a situation where winning was the only goal, that no individual stat mattered. That experience was a life lesson in itself, and it's something that I really appreciated to be able to translate into this side of the game now. So take it a step at a time."