Francisco Lindor has not stepped up for the New York Mets in 2026. The team has struggled throughout the month April, falling far short of expectations.
New York entered Wednesday’s home game against the Minnesota Twins riding a 12-game losing streak, and Lindor has been a major part of the problem. Through 23 games, the 32-year-old switch-hitter has produced a .209 batting average, .301 on-base percentage, .642 OPS, two home runs and four RBIs.
Lindor has proven that he is capable of much more. Across 12 MLB seasons with the Cleveland Guardians and now the Mets, the veteran shortstop has earned five All-Star selections, two Gold Gloves and four Silver Sluggers.
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Unfortunately for the Mets, Lindor’s disappointing start took another turn on Wednesday. He opened the night with two hits in his first two at-bats, driving in a run and scoring another.
He was the primary reason New York held a 2-1 lead after four innings. But while scoring in the fourth, Lindor appeared to grimace in discomfort as he rounded third base. When the Mets took the field in the fifth, he was removed from the game.
Brett Baty entered at third base, with Bo Bichette sliding over to shortstop. Moments later, the Mets announced an update on his status. “Francisco Lindor was removed from tonight's game with left calf tightness,” the team wrote on X.
The timing could not be worse. If Lindor is forced to miss additional time, it would come at a moment when the Mets desperately need him to rebound. Juan Soto, Lindor’s superstar teammate and one of the few players capable of carrying the offense, had just returned from his own calf injury earlier in the day.
The Mets could now be staring at the possibility of losing their two highest-paid players for most of April. Lindor is in the middle of his massive 10-year, $341 million extension that runs through 2031, and the organization expected him to anchor a roster built to contend deep into October.
Instead, the Mets find themselves freefalling, and losing Lindor for any stretch would only deepen a hole that already feels dangerously close to swallowing their season.
