Positive Mets News Emerges on Francisco Lindor, Jorge Polanco

The New York Mets could be getting some important reinforcements back in the coming weeks.

As reported by MLB insider Jon Heyman of The New York Post, Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor has a secret target return date of June 20.

According to MLB insider Joel Sherman of The New York Post, Lindor is scheduled to play a two-inning sim game on both sides of the ball on Friday. However, Lindor is still at least a week away from returning.

That being said, it's a very positive sign that Lindor is going to be playing in a sim game tomorrow. He will likely need some form of a rehab assignment before rejoining the Mets.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters earlier in the week that Lindor was going to be doing full baseball activities including running the bases on the team's homestand.

Lindor has been on the injured list since April 23 with a left calf strain. Missing this much time due to injury is unusual for Lindor, who has played in at least 152 games in each of the last four seasons.

The 32-year-old was off to his typical slow start in 2026, but was heating up before he went down with his calf injury. In his last seven games, Lindor was slashing .360/.385/.640 with two home runs.

Sherman also reported that Jorge Polanco could DH in rehab games next week. Polanco's rehab assignment was shut down last weekend due to recurring soreness in his ankle. He was sent back to New York to be reevaluated and received an MRI that came back clean, per Mendoza.

Polanco, who was signed to a two-year, $40 million deal in the offseason to play first base, will likely only DH upon his return from the IL.

Polanco, 32, landed on the IL on April 15 due to a right wrist contusion and Achilles bursitis. The wrist issue is fully healed, but his Achilles bursitis has been a problem all year.

The veteran infielder has dealt with a slew of injury woes throughout his 13-year career.

The Mets beat the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday by a score of 5-4 to avoid a three-game sweep. Regardless, the Mets are still 30-38 on the season and in last place in the National League East.

The hope is that Lindor and Polanco can return in time to help the Mets make a run at a Wild Card spot (5.5 games back of the third and final position). It sounds like both infielders should be able to come back in the near future.