The Mets have an explanation for Francisco Lindor’s latest screw up at shortstop.
After Lindor failed to cover second base on a potential double-play ball on Saturday, noti.group’s Joel Sherman said Wednesday during an appearance on “The Show” with Jon Heyman that the team told him it may have something to do with his unfamiliarity with his new partner up the middle.
“I was talking to Mets people and they were like, ‘look, it’s a bad play. But understand, for the last few years, we had him pulled all the way up the middle because Jeff McNeil and Pete Alonso were on the right side and those guys were really pushed toward the right field line,’ Sherman said.
“[Second baseman Marcus] Semien could actually get to balls up the middle. I think [Lindor’s] muscle memory was that nobody’s going to get this ball, I got to go cut it off before it gets to the outfield. And so he didn’t break to second base.”
Sherman posited it may have had something to do with Lindor’s injury in February.
“Those two guys didn’t work together much in spring because of the hamate situation,” Sherman added.
As Sherman described, Lindor failed to cover second on a potential double-play ball during the second inning of a loss to the A’s, allowing their opponent to tack on a run.
Semien fielded the grounder and with nobody to throw to, stepped on second for the force without getting the second out at first.
Lindor took accountability for the misstep after the game.
“I’m not sure. I feel like I’m locked in,” Lindor said. “It just happens. I’ve got to be better.”
“No miscommunication. He’s one of the best second basemen in the game, and I should expect he’s gonna be there. There was no miscommunication at all.”
It was far from the only mental mistake Lindor has made during the early going of the 2026 season, though.
On April 1 against the Cardinals, Lindor forgot how many outs there were on an easy would-be double-play ball.
Later in the game, Lindor was picked off first while focused on his sliding glove.
Lindor’s miscues have come under the microscope amid the Mets’ slow start, having gone 7-11 and lost seven straight headed into Wednesday’s game.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
