The New York Mets could be without star shortstop Francisco Lindor for multiple weeks due to a calf injury suffered on Wednesday, April 22, based on a recent report from Mike Puma of the New York Post.
Lindor is likely headed to the injured list, per Puma. Infielder Ronny Mauricio is expected to take his spot on the roster. Lindor legged out an infield single in the 4th inning against the Minnesota Twins. He was replaced by Brett Baty after the frame. Bo Bichette took over at shortstop.
Calf injuries are becoming all too familiar to the Mets. The club was just without All-Star outfielder Juan Soto due to a similar injury. Soto returned on Wednesday after missing roughly three weeks. He singled and walked in his return to the lineup. New York edged Minnesota by a score of 3-2, finally ending a 12-game losing streak.
New York Mets Get Bad News on Francisco Lindor Injury
The calf concern is the second injury issue of the season for Lindor. The shortstop was delayed in the spring due to a hamate bone fracture. He beat the estimated timeline for the injury and made it back in time for Opening Day. The 32-year-old is off to a slow start so far. Lindor is slashing .226/.314/.355 across 105 plate appearances. He went 17 games without a home run to open the season.
The plate discipline has been a positive for Lindor. He has a 10.5% walk rate, the second-highest mark of his career. Lindor’s 18.1% strikeout rate is right in line with career norms. The hand injury didn’t seem to impact his power, either. The veteran shortstop has a 9.5% barrel rate and a 43.2% hard-hit rate. Both numbers are above league average and better than Lindor has shown at other points in his career.
The simple answer to Lindor’s difficult start could be bad luck. The veteran has a .264 batting average on balls in play, which is nearly 30 points lower than his career mark. Lindor tends to get off to slow starts, though 2025 was an outlier. He posted an excellent .872 OPS through April last season. It came with a stellar .308 batting average.
Who Will Play Shortstop With Lindor Out?
Bichette covered shortstop in Lindor’s absence on Wednesday, but that’s likely a temporary setup. The former Toronto Blue Jays infielder signed a massive three-year, $126 million contract with the club to be the primary third baseman. Bichette hadn’t played third base in his professional career before this season, but declining metrics up the middle forced the position change. The veteran totaled -15 Defensive Runs Saved over the past two seasons in Toronto.
Mauricio has spent the majority of his big league time split between second and third base, despite coming up as a shortstop. His defensive numbers have been solid in his brief career. Mauricio has posted 2 DRS across three big-league campaigns. Offense has been the primary concern for Mauricio. The former prospect has an unimpressive 84 wRC+ through 296 MLB plate appearances. He’s been better in the minors, including a 149 wRC+ at Triple-A this season.
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