On Wednesday, SNY’s Andy Martino reported that New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor played through injury for most of the 2023 season.
He wrote that Lindor: “first felt the effects of the bone spur in his right elbow during spring training. The discomfort lingered through the season, but he did not want to make it public, or stop playing.”
If we have learned something throughout the years, ever since he was a member of the Cleveland Guardians, it’s that Lindor places a lot of value on availability.
He doesn’t usually take days off, and he rarely gets injured.
He played 161 games for the Mets in 2022 and 160 this year.
He wasn’t going to let discomfort ruin his season, and actually had an excellent year individually.
Mets fans reacted to Martino’s report, mostly positively.
Talk about elite
— Elits20 (@elits02) October 11, 2023
Some fans implied that sometimes, Lindor’s greatness is taken for granted.
I feel like Lindor gets treated similarly to how Beltran was . Nothing was ever going to be good enough. But once he’s gone and retired, we will long for a player like him.
— Michael White (@whitemi5) October 11, 2023
Indeed, his first couple of seasons with the Mets were not bad, but a bit underwhelming considering his history with the Guardians.
He didn’t clear the .800 OPS threshold in 2021 or 2022.
This year, however, he posted a .806 OPS, 33 doubles, 31 home runs, and 31 stolen bases.
He also drove in 98 runs, scored 108, and played elite, Gold Glove-caliber defense.
He is one of the best shortstops in the league and will be with the Mets for a really long time after signing his mammoth extension in 2021.
Bro was the best shortstop in the MLB while injured for the whole season
— AWSOME: The Protagonist of Ro Wrestling! (@AwsomeBayBee) October 11, 2023
With work and production, Lindor has earned the respect of the Mets fanbase, and the relationship didn’t got off to the best of starts back in 2021.
Special guy, special player. We’re lucky to have him.
— Bryan Turner (@bryan_turnerr) October 11, 2023
He is earning the recognition he deserves.
NEXT: Mets Insider Reveals Francisco Lindor Surgery Update
