Mets’ Francisco Lindor Confident in Turnaround Despite Slow Start

Francisco Lindor is no stranger to slow starts, and this season is proving to be another challenging opening for the Mets’ shortstop. After an 11 at-bat hitless streak, he finally broke through with a single in the seventh inning during the Mets’ 7-1 loss to the Diamondbacks on Thursday night at Citi Field. With just eight hits to his name this season, including only three for extra bases, Lindor is keenly aware that he needs to elevate his game.

Lindor attributes his struggles not to the surgery he underwent in February to remove the hamate bone from his left hand, but rather to the natural ebb and flow of a long season. He pointed to his performance earlier in the week against Arizona, where he connected on two hits, including a double, and hit three balls over 100 mph as evidence that his power remains intact. “They said the power was gonna be down, and I’m hitting the ball just as hard as I have before,” Lindor stated confidently before Thursday’s game. “It’s just a matter of time.”

Despite the confidence, the lingering effects of his injury do occasionally surface. “Of course you worry about not being the same,” Lindor admitted. “You do grips and strength tests, and you don’t know if it’s strong enough or what it once was. But then you feel you’re hitting the ball like normal and you think you’re fine. That’s where I am.” However, his numbers paint a less rosy picture, as he now stands at 8-for-51 (.157) with three extra-base hits and no RBIs.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza weighed in on Lindor’s performance, dismissing the notion that the injury is a factor. “The injury has nothing to do with it,” Mendoza said, noting that Lindor’s early-season struggles are part of a pattern, as he traditionally has had shaky Aprils. “He’s hit a lot of balls hard that have gone right at people.” With other key players like Juan Soto and Jorge Polanco sidelined, Lindor’s production is more crucial than ever.

“I’d like to contribute more to the team in this spot, but my struggles are not because of my hand,” Lindor explained. He emphasized the need for more quality at-bats, asserting that the results will follow if he can focus on that. When asked if Soto’s absence increases the pressure on him, Lindor replied, “No. Juan is irreplaceable. The stuff he does on the field and in the batter’s box, I can’t make up. None of us can.”

As the season unfolds, Lindor recognizes the importance of urgency in turning things around. “You understand these starts are gonna happen sometimes,” he said. “And at the beginning of a season, it looks worse because you don’t have numbers to make it better. It’s part of it. But you have to have a sense of urgency, which I do, to get going. You can’t just say, ‘I’ll get there.’ ” Mendoza echoed this sentiment, highlighting Lindor’s aggressive style as a key to overcoming his current slump. “He’s going to swing. He’ll get out of it and be fine.”

Note: This recap is an independently written summary based on publicly available reporting.