After exiting early on Friday and sitting out on Saturday, Mets superstar Francisco Lindor was pulled in the second inning of today’s series finale against the Phillies. Back discomfort has been a problem for the NL MVP candidate all weekend, and as it turns out, significantly longer. Lindor told reporters, including Tim Britton of The Athletic, that he has been playing through back pain for the past two weeks. Ever since he further irritated the injury on Friday, it has become too difficult to ignore.
Lindor will go for an MRI tomorrow, after which the Mets will have a better sense of the severity of his condition. Needless to say, they’ll be hoping it’s nothing serious and the star shortstop can get back on the field as soon as possible. The Mets are in a dead heat with the Braves in the race to secure the third and final NL Wild Card berth.
In further injury news out of Queens, starting pitcher Paul Blackburn is dealing with a spinal fluid leak in his back (per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com). President of baseball operations David Stearns suggests the injury isn’t quite as bad as it might sound, but nonetheless, the team does not know when Blackburn will be able to return. The right-hander has not pitched since August 23. Thankfully for the Mets, their pitching staff, and particularly their starting rotation, has been a strength as of late. Their starters rank third in MLB with a 2.32 ERA since Blackburn landed on the IL. Meanwhile, Blackburn had a 5.18 ERA in five starts after joining the Mets at the trade deadline.
More from around the National League:
- Dodgers manager Dave Roberts says he would be “shocked” if catcher Austin Barnes doesn’t wind up on the injured list tomorrow, according to Juan Toribio of MLB.com. The veteran backstop got hit by a foul ball on his left big toe and was forced to make an early exit from today’s game against the Braves. Barnes spent time on the IL with a fracture in the same toe in August, and while Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic points out that today’s contusion is in a “different spot,” it’s quite possible Barnes re-aggravated his old injury. Ardaya notes that Hunter Feduccia – one of four catchers on the Dodgers’ 40-man roster – is already on his way to join the big league club.
- Brewers reliever Joel Payamps felt discomfort in his forearm during his appearance today against the Diamondbacks, manager Pat Murphy told reporters (including Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel). The right-hander recorded one out in the bottom of the seventh inning and did not return for the eighth. The Brewers have not yet provided any further details about Payamps, who has been one of the team’s most trusted and dependable relievers over the past two seasons. Across 130 games with Milwaukee, he has a 2.90 ERA and a 3.45 SIERA in 124 innings pitched. He has not looked quite as sharp in 2024 as he did the year before. Still, his 3.38 ERA and 3.73 SIERA are respectable numbers, while his six saves, 18 holds, and high average leverage index are proof that the Brewers continue to rely on him in plenty of important spots.
“Brewers reliever Joel Payamps felt discomfort in his forearm during his appearance today against the Diamondbacks, ”
Dave Roberts and Andrew Friedman strike again!
Barnes must have weak toes.
There’s no way Lindor wins mvp
I don’t think the Mets win the wild card without him total different line up when he is not in it
He’ll get some votes from voters who don’t think a DH like Ohtani deserves to win. Lindor contributes with his excellent defense is their rationale.
Wasn’t going to win anyways….this just makes a good excuse for those that don’t like Ohtani.
Ohtani has MVP locked up, and if it’s somehow not ohtani then it could be ozuna or lindor profar or even Chris sale
There is zero way Lindor wins MVP and its so obvious
for one, people love to talk about ohtani saying “oh stolen bases are easier that’s why he has so many” but when it comes to lindor, I don’t see anyone saying that.
Lindor player defense, we know…but he still has a lower WAR than ohtani.
Ohtani is injured as well, recovering from an injury most players never recover from, and he’s putting up more than 45 homers.
People say a DH can win MVP ortiz himself said this, yet…he’s so happy he’s in the hall as a DH..weird, ohtani is the ONLY DH EVER, to put up these stats, not to mention if he hits 50/50 he will be the ONLY PLAYER in MLB history to have a 50/50 season, note a DH is known as being slow, nonathletic, and cant defend, the thing is…this is the only season ohtani has not played the field. and ohtani is probably the most athletic player in MLB.
The fact he’s putting up these numbers injured alone should lead the way for him to win MVP.
Lindor also has an .830 OPS which is good but not MVP good his batting average isn’t MVP level, his OBP isn’t MVP level, he’s an all star player for sure, but he’s NOT MVP, and its not even close.
and cmon, lindor only leads ohtani in games played, and plate appearances
which means ohtani is doing so much more in less games…
argument over ohtani IS MVP, you cant tell me otherwise.
yeah fr XD
Time for the Brewers to dfa Milner and bring Hudson and Miz up.
Stearns’ grade for his 2024 deadline work?
In bWAR, bcause why not…
Winker +0.3
Brazoban –0.1
Blackburn –0.3
Stanek -0.3
Negative 0.4 bWAR, in sum. Better moves—but hardly moves requiring clairvoyance—would have added approximately 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 wins to where the Mets are this afternoon. They made 4 deadline acquisitions they hoped were meaningful, in the 1/4 of a season since the deadline, that’s the equivalent of a season’s worth of play for a single player. Call it 2 bWAR for that single player’s competent season.
Make it 1 bWAR so we’re not being unreasonable, and had the Mets picked up 4 modestly productive players at the deadline they’d be 1 + 0.4 = +1.4 bWAR or roughly 1.4 wins better off than they are now in a wildcard race where they’re currently tied at 80-66 with Atlanta for the last spot—but since the Mets lost their season series against the Braves, a tie by their records in 162 games means they’re out and the Braves are in.
F+ for Stearns?
That’s such a weird way to look at it. What bWAR were you expecting from 3 relievers and a DJ Stewart replacement across 6 weeks? Like what would’ve raised your cute little grade you gave him?
Btw WAR-like advanced stats are great for individual players but do they work when you’re evaluating replacements? Like these players don’t perform in a vacuum lol. Maybe -0.1bWAR replaced a player that was on track for -10 bWAR.