PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- The Mets’ early Spring Training fears were realized on Wednesday, when Francisco Lindor visited a specialist who confirmed the diagnosis of a stress reaction in his left hamate bone. Lindor underwent surgery on Wednesday and will miss the next six weeks while he recovers.
Should everything go according to plan, Lindor will make it back just in time for the Mets’ March 26 opener against the Pirates at Citi Field -- “knowing Lindor, I’m not going to bet against him,” was how manager Carlos Mendoza put it. But that doesn’t mean Lindor will be himself right away. Hamate bone injuries can sap hitters of their power, meaning even if Lindor makes it back for Opening Day, he may need additional time to round into peak form.
Take Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez, for example. Last spring, Alvarez fractured his left hamate bone and returned to play 6 1/2 weeks later. Alvarez hit just one home run in his first 28 games, however, prompting a Minor League demotion in June. It wasn’t until after the All-Star break that Alvarez caught fire, hitting eight home runs over his final 41 games.
Lindor is a different player, of course, with a far longer track record of success. And Alvarez is just one example among a litany of players who have undergone this surgery. But it’s something the Mets will monitor throughout spring as they gauge Lindor’s readiness for Opening Day.
“We’ll see how that roster is going to look when we break camp, but we feel comfortable -- also optimistic -- that Lindor is going to be that same player as well,” Mendoza said. “It’s not going to be the first time [someone has had this surgery]. There’s cases where the power has been a topic. But there’s also been cases where guys have that type of surgery and it doesn’t affect them at all. Everyone is different, and I’m going to continue to back my guy.”
Much of Mendoza’s optimism stems from Lindor’s history of playing through injuries. In 2022, Lindor missed just one game after fracturing his right middle finger in a hotel accident. He contributed one of the biggest homers in Mets history in 2024 despite playing with a nagging back injury, and he spent weeks last summer taking the field on a broken right pinky toe. In October, Lindor underwent a debridement surgery on his right elbow, which was going to prevent him from playing in next month’s World Baseball Classic even before his hamate issue surfaced.
While Lindor hasn’t always been effective in playing through pain, he’s rarely allowed injuries to cost him time. Over the past four seasons, the shortstop has averaged 158 games per year. He’s also remained one of baseball’s most productive shortstops, finishing within the top 10 in National League MVP voting every year since 2022.
“Knowing Lindor, I’m not going to bet against him,” Mendoza said.
If Lindor does miss regular-season games, the Mets have two bench candidates with shortstop experience already on their 40-man roster in Ronny Mauricio and Vidal Bruján. Three other non-roster invitees -- Christian Arroyo, Jackson Cluff and Grae Kessinger -- can play the position. Currently, the Mets have no plans to move recently signed third baseman Bo Bichette -- historically a shortstop -- because of the short-term nature of Lindor’s absence. Mets officials instead want Bichette to spend Spring Training growing acclimated to his new position.
So for now, the Mets will wait, evaluate their internal options and hope Lindor recovers in time to be an Opening Day factor. Lindor will have stitches in his hand for approximately 10 days, after which point he can restart baseball activities. He will be on the field throughout his recovery, throwing with his healthy hand and spending as much time as possible with new double play partner Marcus Semien. But a full slate of baseball activities, including swinging a bat, is still weeks away.
That should be the case as well for two other star players who suffered hamate injuries this week: Jackson Holliday of the Orioles and Corbin Carroll of the Diamondbacks. Orioles general manager Mike Elias said he expected Holliday to miss multiple weeks beyond Opening Day, though that injury involved a fully broken bone. Carroll’s timetable is not yet clear.
As for Lindor, Mendoza reiterated, “Every player is different. But knowing the person, knowing the player and the athlete, I’m pretty comfortable saying that he’s going to be ready to go.”