LINDOR SITS WITH SMASHED FINGER
Francisco Lindor slammed his finger closing a door and missed the New York Mets’ series opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday night.
“The last time I pinched a finger, I was 12 years old,” he said.
The shortstop got hurt a night earlier after the team arrived in Los Angeles ahead of the four-game series between the National League’s top two teams. He was closing one of two double doors in his hotel room.
“They closed at the same time and the next thing you know I got a swollen finger,” he said. “I ran around the room for like three minutes. I didn’t want to look at it. I felt like I had my heart in that finger.”
Lindor’s right middle finger was swollen and the nail bed was blackened. He said the injury affected his ability to throw and grip a bat, but he’s not expected to miss more than a day.
Manager Buck Showalter briefly considered using Lindor as the designated hitter, but decided to sit him instead.
Lindor has driven in at least one run in a career-high 10 straight games. He is batting .365 in that stretch and has 43 RBI this season.
“It’s frustrating to not be out there with the boys,” Lindor
said. “I want to be out there every day and do whatever it takes to help the team win.”
Lindor said his teammates weren’t razzing him because they know he’s “not too happy.”
Notable
According to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, LHP Clayton Kershaw is getting closer to returning from joint inflammation in his lower back. After coming through a 60-plus pitch bullpen session on Wednesday feeling good, Kershaw is scheduled to make a rehab assignment outing Sunday with low-A Rancho Cucamonga.
Roberts said Kershaw will pitch about four innings. If all goes well, he could return to the team’s big-league rotation immediately afterward.
Outfielder Kevin Pillar
received a far less promising diagnosis. Scans showed Pillar suffered a fractured left shoulder, an injury that could require surgery and puts his status for the rest of the season in doubt. Surgery is a possibility.
• Orioles GM Mike Elias
says top pitching prospect Grayson Rodriguez has a strained lat muscle. It’s not clear how long the righthander will be out. Rodriguez is the top pitching prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline.