Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns announced that shortstop Francisco Lindorwill be evaluated on Wednesday for a stress reaction in his left hamate bone.
Per Stearns, Lindor reported soreness in his left hand/wrist area over the last couple of days, and will see a specialist on Wednesday to determine if surgery is necessary.
If Lindor does require surgery, it would likely include a six-week recovery time, including a ramp-up period, which means he could still be back by Opening Day.
"Even if it does require a surgery, we would remain optimistic that Francisco would be back for Opening Day," Stearns said.
According to Stearns, Lindor has had soreness in the hamate area on and off for “a couple of years.”
“He’s usually able to grind through it, and he’s done it," Stearns said. "I don’t know when he first felt it, but I think it just persisted to the point where he felt like he should say something about it. Once we examined it a little bit more yesterday, our medical staff determined that he should see a specialist."
This isn't the first bit of injury news for Lindor this offseason. Following the 2025 season, Lindor had a procedure on his right (throwing) elbow that was described as a "minor cleanup." As a result, Lindor is not competing with team Puerto Rico in this year's World Baseball Classic.
Lindor is coming off his first All-Star season as a Met, as he slashed .267/.346/.466 with 31 home runs, 86 RBI and 117 runs scored.
Stearns said multiple times that the Mets are optimistic and even "confident" that if Lindor undergoes surgery, he'll be back by Opening Day. When pressed on other internal options at shortstop if Lindor isn't back by March 26, Stearns said the club has a number of players with shortstop experience in camp, including Ronny Mauricio and Vidal Brujan.
However, it sounds as if the club wants to keep the recently acquired Bo Bichette at third base, rather than move him around the infield.