Mets’ Francisco Lindor Aims to Avoid Injured List After Fracturing Toe
It’ll likely be days rather than weeks until Francisco Lindor can rejoin the New York Mets’ lineup, offering a best-case scenario on the four-time All-Star’s prognosis after fracturing his right pinky toe.
Lindor was absent during Thursday’s series finale at Dodger Stadium. However, it wasn’t due to a lack of trying, as he pleaded his case to manager Carlos Mendoza multiple times that he was ready to go. But the team opted to play it safe after their superstar shortstop was hit on the foot by an 89-mph slider from Tony Gonsolin on Wednesday.
The hit-by-pitch caused Lindor to drop to the ground while in immense pain, but he regained his footing soon after and ultimately stayed in the game. With his adrenaline running high, the 31-year-old initially hoped he hadn’t suffered any broken bones.
That belief quickly evaporated post-game, though, as an X-ray revealed a fractured right pinky toe. The good news is that it avoided the joint, meaning he’ll likely be able to steer clear of an IL stint.
“It’s just a matter of tolerating the pain,” Lindor told reporters in Los Angeles on Thursday, including MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo. “So hopefully, I’m strong enough to play sooner rather than later.”
Both Lindor and the Mets hope he can return to the lineup following a few days of recovery. In the meantime, rookie Luisangel Acuña is expected to occupy starts at shortstop, with top prospect Ronny Mauricio – recalled from Triple-A Syracuse earlier this week – occasionally filling in as well.
Acuña, the younger brother of the Atlanta Braves’ superstar, has struggled at the plate this season and is hitting .244/.295/.289 with six doubles and a 69 wRC+ (100 league average) in 54 games.
Lindor has been a workhorse for the Mets, playing at least 150 games in each of the last three seasons, including 160 in 2023 and 161 in ‘22.
“I think it’s going to be a nagging thing,” Lindor said. “It’s a bone, it’s a broken bone. I think it takes six weeks for a bone to be fully healed. Three years ago, I did my finger here, and it still hurts at times. It’s part of relying on your body. As professional athletes, that’s stuff we go through. This is what God wanted this week, and we’ll deal with that. It could have been worse.”
The 2024 NL MVP runner-up has previously played through an ailment, injuring his right middle finger on a hotel door in ‘22, which only sidelined him for one game but had a lingering impact on his offensive production.
“The thing with Francisco is he knows his body better than everybody,” Mendoza said. “They’ve got a good feeling about each other — not only Francisco knowing himself, but the trainers knowing the player, and the player trusting the medical staff. I think there’s a lot of confidence, a lot of trust on both ends, and we’ll take it day by day.”
It’ll be interesting to watch how the Mets balance Lindor’s health versus having his elite bat in the lineup over the next several weeks as he recovers from his broken toe.
The switch-hitting infielder has picked up right where he left off last season, excelling to a .279/.353/.490 slash line with 14 home runs and 36 RBIs – both of which rank second only to Pete Alonso, who leads the team with 15 homers and 55 RBIs.
Lindor has also accounted for a 137 wRC+ – again, second to Alonso’s 172 – and a team-leading 2.7 fWAR while playing in 61 of New York’s 63 games.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @Hall_Thomas_
Photo: D. Benjamin Miller. This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.