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The New York Mets got bad news this week when they learned that Francisco Lindor would need surgery to address his hamate bone injury.
Lindor is one of the best players in baseball and was penciled in as the Mets’ everyday shortstop. However, with him injured, the Mets have to rethink their infield plan in the short term. The team is optimistic that Lindor can be ready before opening day, and manager Carlos Mendoza took one solution at shortstop off the table.
The Mets signed Bo Bichette this offseason. After years of playing shortstop, the Mets are moving him to third base. After Lindor’s injury, Mendoza revealed that the plan will not change.
“As of right now, that is not on the table, but again, this is a guy who’s played shortstop,” Mendoza told reporters in a clip posted by SNY. “If we get to that point, that transition is not going to be as hard. Right now, we have to make sure we get him comfortable at third base and that’s where he’s going to be getting his work defensively.”
Perhaps the Mets do not think Lindor will miss any time in the regular season, and are focused on Bichette getting ready to man the hot corner. However, playing Bichette at shortstop would make sense considering the Mets have Brett Baty. Baty needs a spot to play after his breakout year, and he could just play third base again.
Perhaps if Lindor’s timeline changes, Mendoza moves Bichette to shortstop again, opening the door for Baty to play more as well. However, as of right now, the Mets are opting to stick with other options at shortstop. Even though it seems like simply playing Bichette at shortstop would make the most sense, Mendoza and the Mets are not committing to that yet.
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