Lindor to undergo hand surgery, could be ready for Opening Day
New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor will undergo surgery Wednesday to fix the hamate bone in his left hand, manager Carlos Mendoza announced.
The Mets are optimistic he'll be ready for Opening Day.
"It varies. People are saying six weeks for return of play," Mendoza said when asked about Lindor's recovery timeline, according to SNY. "Knowing Lindor, I'm not going to bet against him.
"This is a guy that's played through broken toes and the low back two years ago when he could barely walk, and he continued to play through it. We're still optimistic that he's going to be available for us on Opening Day, but we just gotta wait and see."
Lindor was reportedly evaluated for a stress reaction in his left hamate bone Tuesday, with Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns claiming the injury was a recent development.
Mendoza said Lindor has mentioned over the past couple years that the injury "came and went," but the Mets became concerned when he brought it to their attention prior to spring training beginning.
Lindor is a major part of New York's roster. The 32-year-old owns an .800 OPS with 141 home runs and 117 steals since being acquired in a 2021 trade with the Cleveland Guardians.
The infielder is owed $204.6 million over the next six years of his contract.