New York Mets officials anticipate their star shortstop Francisco Lindor will rejoin the team before June concludes, although an exact comeback date remains undetermined.
The talented infielder has been sidelined since April 23 due to a left calf strain injury.
David Stearns, the team’s president of baseball operations, discussed Lindor’s status on Friday prior to the Mets’ 7-5 victory against the visiting Atlanta Braves.
“I don’t know exactly when this month, but that means we’re getting closer,” Stearns said. “We want to go as fast as possible and smart as possible, and that’s a delicate line.”
During his rehabilitation process, the 32-year-old participated in a simulated game on Friday at Citi Field, taking at-bats against a pitcher from the Mets’ High-A affiliate in Brooklyn. Lindor refrained from running after contact and completed defensive work equivalent to two innings, handling ground balls.
“More like a controlled environment (where) we’re simulating game action, but we’re controlling it,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “He’s going to do that again next week here, where instead of two innings, it’s more like three, five (innings). And then, we’ll revisit at the end of next week to see what’s the next step.”
Lindor will likely complete a minor league rehabilitation assignment following what represents his longest injured list period in his professional career. He has been absent for 44 games with this injury, compared to missing only 52 games during his initial five seasons with the Mets.
The Mets have compiled a 22-22 record during Lindor’s absence and currently hold a 31-38 overall record, placing them last in the National League East division.
Lindor is currently hitting .226 this season. Known as a typically slow starter, Lindor had begun finding his rhythm during the nine games preceding his injury, collecting 11 hits in 33 at-bats to improve his average from .188.
Lindor earned All-Star Game selection for the fifth time in his career and first time as a Met in 2025. He posted a .267 batting average with 31 home runs, 86 RBIs, a .346 on-base percentage, a .466 slugging percentage, a National League-leading 644 at-bats and major league-topping 732 plate appearances across 160 games.
Throughout his career, he maintains a .273 batting average with 281 home runs and 861 RBIs across 1,559 regular-season games with Cleveland (2015-20) and New York.
Lindor also carries a .263 batting average with eight home runs and 21 RBIs in 41 postseason games.
