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Should the Mets Be Concerned About Francisco Lindor?
Apr 9, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) on the field before the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Should the Mets Be Concerned About Francisco Lindor?

Originally posted on New York Mets on SI
By Logan VanDine  |  Last updated Apr 12, 2026 8:00 AM ET

Ever since joining the New York Mets in 2021, Francisco Lindor has been accustomed to slow starts to the season.

The All-Star shortstop would eventually snap out of any early-season funk and play at an MVP-caliber level both offensively and defensively. That hasn't, however, been the case at the onset of this season.

During the Mets' 11-6 loss to the Athletics on Saturday, which dropped them to under .500 at 7-8, Lindor once again committed a mental lapse in the field. With the bases loaded and just one out in the top of the second inning and the game knotted at one, Lindor was seemingly out of position when a ground ball up the middle was smothered by Marcus Semien. Had Lindor been in position, the Mets likely turn an inning-ending double play that would have gotten Kodai Senga out of a huge jam.

Instead, Semien had to rush to second base and make a throw to first base that was way too late. The play gave the A's a lead they would not relinquish.

It goes without saying that Lindor should have been on the second base bag to turn a potential double play and get Senga out of the inning with the game only tied. Ultimately, that mental mistake opened the floodgates that spiraled into New York's fourth straight loss.

"It's weird because that's not him," Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said of Lindor after Saturday's game. "It's hard to explain. He'll be the first one, he'll tell you that he's got to be better. Never seen that, some of those plays that he's just out of position at times."

Is is time to worry about Francisco Lindor?

This wasn't the first instance in which Lindor made a costly mental mistake this season. During New York's matchup against the St. Louis Cardinals on April 1, the 32-year-old forgot how many outs there were and jogged lightly to second base on a ground ball in the bottom of the first inning rather than turn what looked to be a routine double play. Later that game, Lindor was picked off of first base in the sixth inning.

Lindor was asked about what happened during that second inning when he and the Mets were unable to turn the double play.

"I went after the ball. Marcus was there and didn't make it to second base and didn't turn the double play. Senga could've got out of the inning there and I didn't help him," Lindor said.

Lindor has also been a non-factor at the plate 15 games into the season, going just 9-for-55 (.164) with a .546 OPS and has yet to hit a home run or drive in a run. While Lindor did miss most of spring training after undergoing surgery on his hamate bone, he is not using his lack of spring training reps as an excuse for his uneven start.

"That's not an excuse. I'm a professional baseball player and I've got to be better, I've got to help this team win," he said.

Francisco Lindor is simply too good a player to make mental mistakes on the field and be unable to produce offensively. The Mets are counting on him to snap out of this funk and prove he is the same player they have seen day in and day out over the last six seasons.

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This article first appeared on New York Mets on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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