This story was excerpted from Anthony DiComo’s Mets Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox. MLB.com's Bill Ladson wrote this edition.
After signing Jorge Polanco to a two-year, $40 million contract this past offseason, the Mets expected him to be the everyday first baseman, replacing Pete Alonso, who became a free agent himself and signed with the Orioles before the 2026 season.
But Year 1 of that current contract for Polanco hasn’t gone well. On April 18, Polanco went on the 10-day injured list because of a right wrist contusion and left Achilles bursitis. He hasn’t played a big league game since April 14 against the Dodgers. After that game, in which he went 0-for-4, Polanco has a slash line of .179/.246/.286 with two RBIs. During the season, the Mets have used six first basemen, with Jared Young expected to get the lion’s share of reps at the position.
“Nobody wants to be injured. From that aspect, it hasn’t been good,” Polanco said through interpreter Alan Suriel. “At the same time, we have to go out there and try to turn the tide.”
As of Sunday, Polanco’s wrist is 100 percent, but there is some lingering pain in the Achilles.
“Yeah, there is still pain there, but it’s a pain I feel like I can tolerate, that I can play through like a lot of players that play with some nagging injuries. ... But my ankle feels good enough to play out there," Polanco said.
When he is activated from the 10-day injured list, Polanco is expected to become the team’s designated hitter. He started a rehab assignment for Triple-A Syracuse on Saturday and he went 0-for-3 with a strikeout against Lehigh Valley.
This marks the second time Polanco has been on a rehab assignment. He was in a similar situation in late May, but the Mets had to halt the assignment on June 6 because of Polanco's lingering problems with the Achilles. He expects his current rehab assignment to be different.
“Now, I think I’ll be able to return because my legs feel even stronger,” Polanco said. “We put more of a work load in there, but I’ve been able to recover properly. With [the leg] being even stronger and having the right plan in place, I think I will return.”
Polanco doesn’t have a target date as to when he will return to the big leagues.
“There are more steps to take. There are probably more rehab games on the horizon for me, but we don’t have a specific date when I play in a big league game,” he said.