HERE’S TO MY HEALTH
Lindor happy to be feeling good again; elbow hurt all of last year
PORT ST. LUCIE — It started with spring training. A swing and miss and a swollen elbow, and Francisco Lindor knew that something was wrong with his right elbow.
Lindor reported to spring training this week with a healthy elbow and blue hair. After undergoing offseason surgery to remove bone spurs in his right elbow, the shortstop is cleared for full action this spring, which has to bring a sigh of relief for the Mets and their fans given how crucial of a piece Lindor is to the entire puzzle.
Lindor revealed that he played the entirety of the 2023 season with an injured elbow. It wasn't something he wanted public and the pain wasn't severe enough to take him out of action completely last season, so he played 160 games, became just the fourth player in Mets history to join the 30-30 club and dealt with the injury after the season concluded.
“It was day five of spring training,” Lindor said Thursday at Clover Park. “I swung and missed and I felt it right away and the swelling never came down. We have really good trainers here and they did an amazing job of trying to keep me in line. They educated me throughout the process. I kind of had an idea what was happening, I just didn't want to do an MRI and an X-ray because I knew it was going to show something that they weren't going to let me play through.”
Finally, the day after the Mets' disastrous season ended, Lindor underwent imaging and scheduled surgery.
“That goes to show you the type of player he is, the type of person he is, and what he's trying to do for this team,” said manager Carlos Mendoza. “He played through some pain last year and got through it, and was still able to perform and have the season that he did. I'm excited to have him on our team. We've had a lot of conversations in the early going and even during the offseason when I saw him a few times. And then the fact that he's here around the guys this early is important for all of us.”
Mendoza visited Lindor over the winter when he hosted Brett Baty for workouts at Montverde Academy, the high school he attended in the Orlando area. The new manager was able to talk with Lindor and watch his workouts.
The injury didn't set Lindor back too far in his offseason progression. He was able to start earlier than last winter when he was delayed by an appendectomy. But the injury could explain why the start of Lindor's 2023 campaign was somewhat sluggish.
His 97 tOPS+ through the first half of the season showed that he did not produce at his usual level. But by the middle of June, he was looking more like himself and finished the season with an OPS+ of 120, on par with his career numbers.
In his age-29 season, Lindor hit 31 home runs and stole 31 bases. He's hoping for more in 2024 with “high expectations” for himself.
“I want that constant goal to be in reach,” Lindor said. “Not where it's like, ‘OK, I'm there,' because then I look around and say, ‘What now?'”
Lindor was the first major acquisition made by the Mets in the Steve Cohen era. When the club traded for him and then signed him to a 10-year contract in 2021, it signaled that the Mets were going for a World Series title. In each of the last three seasons, the Mets have tried for that title, yet haven't come anywhere close.
The expectations aren't quite as high this season. It isn't World-Series-or-bust, though the Mets do intend to contend for a playoff spot and the PECOTA projections give the Mets a 48.4% chance to do so. The pressure to succeed may not be as relentless as it was last season.
But Lindor has long held a belief that big market teams cannot sneak up on contending teams. The Mets may not be quite as loaded with stars and future hall of famers this season, but Lindor doesn't think that's a reason to count them out. He likes the depth moves made by the organization in the offseason and he likes the culture the team has built.
“I don't see myself as an underdog,” Lindor said. “Whatever people have in their minds, I know I have my own expectations for myself and for the team. So I'm just going to go out there, day in and day out, be Francisco Lindor and be the best version of myself to push the team to strive for good days every single day.”