Francisco Lindor is coming close to making his return to the New York Mets. The All-Star shortstop has been sidelined since with a quad injury. But in that time he has made substantial progress during a rehab assignment. He has also played in simulated games at Citi Field. The team expects him to retake his place in the lineup by the end of June.
“We’ll reassess after the game and see what’s next for him,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “We’ll see whether he needs a day off, whether he’s ready to come off the IL.”
During his rehab assignment, Lindor went 1-for-4 at Double-A Binghamton. In his next outing, he went 0-for-4 with a walk and stolen base. However, his next simulated game was canceled due to inclement weather in Queens.
“He’s just got to wait, get through tomorrow and we’ll have those discussions,” Mendoza added. “Obviously, because of the weather, but he’s going to be doing a high-intensity workout today with baseball and everything that he’s able to do inside.”
Where Francisco Lindor Fits
At the start of the season, Lindor batted leadoff spot for the Mets. But that strategy didn’t exactly translate into success, as he batted .176 to start the season. The team adjusted by moving rookie Carson Benge to the leadoff spot. Lindor moved to third in the lineup, resulting in him producing 18 hits, two home runs and five RBI.
Francisco Lindor was working towards playing through an early season down stretch, until he sustained an injury to his quad. With him out of action, Benge stepped up with 20 hits, five home runs and eight RBI in May. Juan Soto found success as well, batting .292/.403/.523 second in the order. At third in the order, Bo Bichette has come along to produce 25 hits, six extra base hits and three home runs. This helped the team string together some wins.
With the front end of the lineup remaining steady, Francisco Lindor can slot behind Soto and Bichette. This will allow him to ease back into the lineup, as he gets opportunities at designated hitter for the time being. Jared Young is the Mets current cleanup hitter, producing 11 hits, three home runs and seven RBI. His numbers are good, but someone of Lindor’s caliber can help the team put more runs across the board. This will, therefore, lead to them climbing back up the National League standings after a disappointing start.
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