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(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor underwent surgery on Feb. 11 and will miss the next six weeks while he recovers. As a result, it will be a race against time to see if Lindor is ready for Opening Day against the Pittsburgh Pirates on March 26.
Still, even if Lindor makes it back for Opening Day, MLB Network insider Joel Sherman provided an update on the situation, noting that a major reason leads him to believe that the veteran infielder will be back for the Mets’ first game of the 2026 MLB season.
“I don’t know that there are many tougher guys than him in the major leagues,” Sherman said during an MLB Network appearance on Feb. 11. “I mean, he’s played with a fractured finger, a broken toe, and a pinky toe.
“He had a back so bad a couple of years ago that he could hardly stand and he kept playing and had one of the biggest hits of the season to get the Mets in the playoffs that year. He’s tough, and the Mets firmly believe he’ll hit the six-week mark… They believe he’s going to be back in that period, in part because of his toughness that’ll get on the field.”
Mets’ Francisco Lindor Faces Major Concern After Surgery
Still, Sherman noted on the broadcast that he’s a bit concerned about whether Lindor’s power will be affected after the surgery.
“The question is in some of these instances, there is some loss of power,” Sherman added. “For example, Francisco Alvarez had this injury last spring training. At the very beginning, when he came back, it wasn’t until the second half of the season that we really saw some power from him…
“So now the question becomes, if Lindor takes a while to get into his power, can the Mets get enough of it from the rest of the lineup?”
Carlos Mendoza Is Optimistic About Francisco Lindor
Despite the injury and the concerns that Sherman outlined regarding the power that Lindor could be losing in the early part of the season, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza gave an optomistic tone when talking about his star player.
“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 (h/t Anthony DiComo of MLB.com).
“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.”
DiComo said the Mets plan to assess their internal options while keeping a close watch on Lindor’s progress, hoping he can contribute by Opening Day. Even with stitches in his hand for the next 10 days, Lindor will stay involved on the field, throwing with his healthy hand and working alongside new double-play partner Marcus Semien.
Full baseball activities like swinging a bat are still several weeks away, but the Mets are focused on keeping him engaged throughout his recovery.
Eduardo Razo Eduardo Razo is a sports writer for Heavy.com, covering the NFL, MLB, and college football. He has previously covered the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB for NBC Sports Washington and NBC Sports Bay Area & California, and has freelanced for PSG Talk, covering Paris Saint-Germain. He also worked as an editor at Athlon Sports, focusing on MLB and the NFL. More about Eduardo Razo
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