On July 16, the New York Mets lost shortstop Francisco Lindor to an injury, another one of a deep, long collection of physical ailments suffered by players on the team.
Tests later confirmed he was dealing with a Grade 2 oblique strain, an injury that usually takes weeks to fully heal and has a rather high re-aggravation rate should a player try to come back too soon from it.
The Mets were already playing without their best pitcher, Jacob deGrom, and now, they would have to play without their top hurler and position player for an unspecified period of time.
Lindor ended up missing about five weeks with his injury, as he returned on Tuesday, August 24, in the Mets’ loss against the San Francisco Giants.
He went 0-for-4 in his first game back.
He missed 36 games with the injury, and the Mets went 14-22 without him.
They were 47-41 when their star shortstop went down, and now, they are 61-64.
At the moment of Lindor’s injury, the Mets were the National League East leaders and held a three-game advantage in comparison to the Philadelphia Phillies and a four-game advantage against the Atlanta Braves.
Now, the Braves have surged and lead the NL East with a 68-58 record.
The Mets are 6.5 games behind and out of the playoffs as of now.
Is Lindor Coming Back Too Late?
The Mets’ season has gone on a downward spiral since July, around the dates in which deGrom and Lindor got injured.
The team made a few pre-deadline acquisitions, such as pitcher Rich Hill and shortstop/second baseman Javier Baez, but they weren’t enough to stop the bleeding.
The Mets’ cold streak, combined with the improved play by the Phillies and an incredible stretch of wins by the Braves meant that New York is now relegated to third place in a division they led for most of the season.
Playing 13 consecutive games against the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants, the two best teams in the NL, certainly hasn’t helped.
Is Lindor coming back too late?
Shame that whatever impact Lindor and Baez could have had on this team will come way too late to save it.
— The Mets Give Me Agita (@MetsGiveMeAgita) August 21, 2021
Obviously, returning earlier from his injury didn’t depend on him, but the answer to that question is yes.
The Mets are still in the hunt for the postseason, and the division remains the best avenue to qualify.
The Mets Will Need To Step Up Their Game
However, they now need to string together some wins and need the Braves to cool off a bit to have a chance.
There aren’t too many games left to play, so the Mets need to wake up now if they want to save their season.
Having Lindor back is a positive, as he will get to form a middle-infield combo with his friend Baez.
Lindor’s 2021 season, the first one of 11 as stipulated in his contract, hasn’t gone as planned.
He is slashing .225/.322/.371 with 11 home runs, eight stolen bases, and a putrid .694 OPS.
Those are disappointing numbers compared to his .280/.344/.477 career line and .820 OPS.
For the Mets to have a real chance to get back to contention, they will need Lindor to play much closer to his career averages.
He is certainly capable, but is it fair to expect immediate stellar production from him after such a long layoff?
Lindor has intangibles that make the players around him better. The Mets record with and without Lindor says that.
Unless Baez tears it up down the stretch leading the Mets to turning things around, I don’t see how you can commit to him for a multi-year deal.
— Balls Don't Work (@GotNoSperm) August 25, 2021
The Mets, and Lindor, have some work to do.
The team sure hopes Lindor’s return sparks a much-needed reaction.
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