3:05pm: Mendoza said reporters, including Joel Sherman of The New York Post, Lindor’s strain is worse than Soto’s and he will therefore miss a decent amount of time. Mendoza added that Mauricio will get the majority of shortstop time while Lindor is out.
2:13pm: The Mets announced that shortstop Francisco Lindor has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a left calf strain. Infielder Ronny Mauricio has been recalled in a corresponding move. Francys Romero of BeisbolFR reported on Mauricio’s call-up prior to the official announcement. They also announced their previously-reported recall of Christian Scott, with righty Austin Warren optioned as the corresponding move.
It’s a symbolic gut punch for the Mets. With Juan Soto on the IL for the past few weeks, they endured a 12-game losing streak. Last night, they got Soto back and finally snapped that streak with a win, but they lost Lindor in the process.
Lindor appeared to be in discomfort during the game and was removed after four innings. The team later announced that his departure was due to left calf tightness. Manager Carlos Mendoza later told reporters, including Mike Puma of The New York Post, that Lindor would undergo an MRI. Around the same time, Romero reported on Mauricio’s recall, making it seem likely that Lindor was bound for the IL.
It’s an unsurprising move given the events of last night but it’s unusual in the grander scheme of things, as Lindor has been very rarely hurt in his career. In the nine full seasons from 2016 to 2025, he played in at least 125 games in each. Only once was he below 143 and only twice did he come in under 152. This is his first trip to the IL since 2021.
Due to Lindor’s iron man nature, the Mets have been operating without a proper backup for most of this season. Third baseman Bo Bichette, who was primarily a shortstop prior to this year, has been Lindor’s emergency backstop and covered the spot after Lindor was removed last night. Brett Baty came off the bench to cover third.
Lindor is out to a slow start this year, with a .226/.314/.355 line, but in a small sample of 105 plate appearances. In that sample, his walk and strikeout rates are good but he is being held back by a .264 batting average on balls in play. His much larger career track record shows he’s an above-average hitter, defender and baserunner who is usually good for five to eight wins above replacement annually. It’s possible his somewhat slow start is due to a fractured hamate he suffered in February, which he recovered from in time to crack the Opening Day roster.
It’s unclear if the Mets plan to have Bichette cover short now. He wasn’t a great defender at that spot earlier in his career and he finished last season battling a knee injury. As a free agent in the most recent offseason, it didn’t seem as though many clubs had interest in signing him to play that spot. In the end, the Mets won the bidding and have had him at third. His third base defense appears to be about average so far in a small sample, but he’s off to a rough start at the plate, currently sporting a .220/.255/.290 line for the year.
It’s possible the club could keep him at third most of the time, since he’s still getting acclimated to the position, though that would mean playing Mauricio at short pretty much every day. Mauricio has a strong .293/.349/.638 slash in Triple-A this year but hasn’t hit in the majors yet, currently sitting on a career .234/.294/.359 line.
Playing Bichette at short would open up more line possibilities for the club, as Baty or Mark Vientos could cover third base. Neither of those two are hitting well this year but each has shown better form in the past. It’s also possible the Mets don’t firmly commit to one lane or another, as they could make in-game substitutions depending on the situation, opting for Bichette at short when hoping for more offense and moving him to third when prioritizing defense.
However the playing time gets sliced up, it’s not ideal for the Mets to lose a player of Lindor’s caliber. That’s especially true in light of their rough start. Though they snapped the losing streak last night, they are 8-16 on the year and tied with the Phillies for last in the National League. They just endured Soto’s absence and now will try to climb out of that hole without Lindor.
Photo courtesy of Kamil Krzaczynski, Imagn Images
Welp Soto gets to go another 10 plus days without talking to his teammates
huh?
youtube.com/shorts/gBYeaNuYk34?si=1L5SXOy-0uILwH36
😄
This guy is a waste of a roster spot until he starts hitting. He doesn’t even come up to get grounders anymore, lets the ball play him looks terrible on DP’s.
He’ll need a wheelchair out there towards the end of his contract.
To tote around all his moneyz!!!
He’s been highly durable, but he’s also now in his early 30s. His injury profile could be changing.
Warren did great the other day, they should’ve kept him up and sent D.Williams down lol, instead of Mauricio coming back up they should’ve brought up Clifford to play 1b at least he’s a real 1b man
Another 12-game losing streak incoming?
Over the last several seasons as a nearly every game Mets watcher, Lindor’s “WAR” numbers ring hollow. Too many instances where when there are RISP and a game on the line, Lindor fails to deliver in the clutch. I count on one hand when he has come through in those situations. Otherwise he pads his numbers by driving in runs after the Mets have had a big lead. Not disappointed that he is going on the DL.
“Too many instances where when there are RISP and a game on the line,”
Last year, with two outs and RISP, Lindor had a .906 OPS. “Late and close”, his OPS was .804, practically identical to his .811 overall.
Most fans who complain about “clutch stats” and “stat padding” don’t have any idea what they’re talking about.
“don’t have any idea what they’re talking about.”
Amen brother.
Fans who use a lot of projections do it in lieu of actual baseball knowledge
Vientos at 3B with Bichette at SS would be absolutely brutal.
I think Mauricio will be at SS most days. Or, if they move Bo to SS, Baty will man third. I think the days of Vientos getting a lot of time at 3B are over. Even the Mets realize he’s a butcher out there.
They just can’t let the Phillies be the worst team in the NL, can they?
Beginning of the year it was LA followed by Toronto, Philly, Seattle & maybe the NY teams
Now it’s LA/NYY followed by Atlanta & maybe SD
Going to be a fierce battle all summer.
The Muttz have been building the team around Lindor going way back to the awful trade of Pete Crow Armstrong for Javy Baez (Lindor’s childhood friend) and purging all the veterans this offseason. It’s time to test run how good a team it is without him. Maybe he’s the problem. Unfortunately he has a full no trade clause but maybe he could waive it to go to a winner?
Lindor is no Mookie
I thought he was on drugs the first few weeks of the season.
Am SO Tired Of The “Ronny Can’t Hit” Line…
As A Switch Hitter, He’s A LHB Vs. RHP &
Has A Slash Line Of:
277/343/429=772 OPS (210 PA/191 AB)
Though, Admittedly, He Hasn’t Shown Much As A RHB Vs. LHP (In A Smaller Sample:)
134/174/195=370 OPS (86 PA/82 AB)
Perhaps Worth Comparing With A 2003 (The Year Of Mauricio’s Birth) Rookie Switch Hitter Named Jose Reyes:
340/363/448=811 OPS (205 PA/194 AB) Vs RHP
225/267/400=667 OPS (86 PA/80 AB) Vs LHP
Reyes’ Career Splits:
280/330/423=753 OPS Vs RHP
291/347/437=784 OPS Vs LHP…
Looks OK Vs RHP To Me
Should be interesting to see how this team does in Lindor’s absence. It was disastrous in Soto’s absence.