PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — New York Mets star shortstop Francisco Lindor is having surgery on his left hamate bone on Wednesday, manager Carlos Mendoza announced, with an expected recovery timetable that puts him right up against Opening Day.

The typical recovery time from this surgery is around six weeks. The Mets kick off their season against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Citi Field on March 26 — in 43 days.

“We are still optimistic that he is going to be available for us on Opening Day,” Mendoza said. “But we just gotta wait and see.”

Lindor felt soreness in that area off and on in the past, but the pain earlier this week prompted a visit with a specialist, who recommended surgery.

Lindor, 32, is something of an iron man. He has played through various injuries, battling a broken toe and back issues in recent years. He typically flirts with playing all 162 games.

Ten days are required before the stitches come out after surgery, and it’s unclear when Lindor is set to resume baseball activities. It may require more time for Lindor to start fielding compared to hitting, per Mendoza.

“Knowing Lindor,” Mendoza said, “I am not going to bet against him.”

Generally speaking, Dr. Omri B. Ayalon, an orthopedic surgeon at NYU Langone specializing in hand and wrist surgery, said the recovery can take four to eight weeks. Aylanon, who did not treat Lindor, added that a baseball player could end up requiring closer to eight weeks.

“Oftentimes, if you check a swing repeatedly, or if you have really hard impact with a hit, that force of the butt of the of the bat rests right up against the bone, and the bone is in such a place and is a shape that is susceptible to breaking with this kind of motion,” Ayalon said. “That’s why It is very common in baseball players at all levels. It can be either an acute injury or a repetitive stress type injury that can kind of build up over lots of micro trauma.”

For all the Mets’ changes in the offseason, Lindor remains one of their most indispensable players. Mets officials talked publicly about having “four shortstops” in Lindor, Marcus Semien, Bo Bichette and Jorge Polanco. But the dropoff from Lindor is stark, and the domino effect is startling to consider. Bichette, signed to play third base, won’t be taking reps at shortstop (though that may change if Lindor’s timetable changes). At least early, infielders Vidal Bruján, Grae Kessinger, Jackson Cluff and Ronny Mauricio will take spring training reps at shortstop.

The top four batters in the Mets’ order, Mendoza said, are likely as follows: Lindor, Juan Soto and Bichette. After that, it’s probably Polanco, but when asked directly, Mendoza was noncommittal. Take Lindor’s power and speed out of the order, and the lineup isn’t as dynamic.

Even if Lindor returns in time for Opening Day, the power aspect of his game may show up at a later date. That happens with some players who experience the injury. But not all.

“That’s definitely true, temporarily,” Ayalon said regarding a reduction in power. “And the reason is, is because when you remove that part of the bone, the tendon that bends the pinky and the ring finger that give us the most power of our grip, are in a slightly different position than they were before the surgery. And because that bone is removed, the tendons glide in a slightly new path, which means that it takes time for the body to acclimate and the strength to come back.

“So it can sometimes result in a very minor loss of grip strength and power but in general, it does come back.”

Lindor hit at least 30 home runs in each of the past three seasons. The only other Mets players in the remade lineup (read: one that no longer features Pete Alonso) who have hit at least 30 home runs in multiple seasons are Soto and Semien, who is 35 and hit just 15 last year.

Luis Robert Jr., Francisco Alvarez, Brett Baty and Mark Vientos all offer the potential for power, but consistency is a question with each of them.

“We feel comfortable but also optimistic that Lindor is going to be that same player as well,” Mendoza said. “There are cases where power has been a topic. But there have also been cases where guys have that type of surgery and it doesn’t affect them at all.”

Lindor’s injury may end up being a whole lot of nothing if he meets the Mets’ timeline hopes and promptly returns to form. Or Lindor’s injury may test the Mets’ new roster construction right away.