Francisco Lindor has a stress reaction in his left hamate bone, New York Mets president David Stearns said Feb. 10, and the All-Star shortstop is expected to miss six weeks, putting his status for Opening Day in doubt.
Lindor, 32, had already been ruled out of competing for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic due to insurance concerns regarding past offseason surgeries, but Stearns said this injury emerged recently and wasn’t part of the WBC decision. Lindor will see a hand specialist Feb. 11, says Stearns, which should determine whether Lindor requires surgery.
Hitters often have surgery to remove the hamate bone once it fractures, with recoveries ranging from a few weeks to a couple of months. Lindor is coming off his fifth All-Star season, and the fourth consecutive year he’s finished in the National League’s top 10 in MVP voting.
‘Knowing Francisco, I’m optimistic, even if he has to go the surgery route,’ Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said on a video call with news reporters. ‘Found out a couple days ago and didn’t think much of it because this is a guy who’s played through a lot. For him to say something this early, I was like, hmm.
‘But if he has to go that route, I’m optimistic he’ll play shortstop for us on Opening Day.’
Meanwhile, Mendoza confirmed that Juan Soto will move from right to left field this year, a move that evolved from conversations they had about him playing left for the Dominican Republic in next month’s WBC.
The Mets acquired Luis Robert to play center field, and Soto − in the second year of a 15-year, $765 million contract − might be better suited for left, anyway. Former center fielder Tyrone Taylor and rookie Carson Benge are, for now, expected to command most of the playing time in right field.
‘I asked him, ‘How would you feel playing left field for us?’ Mendoza said. ‘He said, ‘I’m willing to do whatever. If you want me to pitch, Mendy, I’ll pitch.’ I asked if it made sense for both.
‘He said, ‘Absolutely.”
The Mets won 83 games but missed out on a playoff berth by one game last season.