Mets' Francisco Lindor placed on injured list with calf strain

NEW YORK -- Even theMets' wins nowadays are clouded with disappointment.

A day after ending their baffling 12-game losing streakand welcoming back Juan Soto from the injured list, the Mets suffered another significant loss when star shortstop Francisco Lindor went on the 10-day injured list with a left calf strain.

Lindor, who exited Wednesday's 3-2 win against the Twins after scoring a run in the fourth inning, underwent an MRI on Thursday morning. A timetable for his return has not been determined, but he is expected to miss more time than Soto, who was out for just less than three weeks with a left calf strain before returning Wednesday.

"He's going to be down for quite a bit," manager Carlos Mendoza said. "We knew right away with Juan that it was kind of the best-case scenario, and it was going to be on the short side of things. I don't think we're dealing with the same thing here."

Lindor has played through a variety of ailments in recent seasons, including lower back soreness in 2024 and a broken right pinkie toe last season. He has not been on the injured list since straining his right oblique in July 2021.

"We're athletes," Lindor, 32, said. "We depend on our body. Stuff like this happens. It's part of the game. It comes with the territory, and you got to toughen up and try to find a way to get healthy."

The Mets called up infielder Ronny Mauriciofrom Triple-A Syracuse for the second time this season to replace Lindor both on the active roster and at shortstop. Mendoza said the plan is for the 25-year-old Mauricio, a former top prospect who has played in 89 games over three major league seasons, to log most of the playing time at shortstop with Bo Bichetteas his backup.

Bichette started at shortstop for the Toronto Blue Jaysover seven seasons before signing with the Mets over the offseason to play third base.

"Mauricio's going to get an opportunity here to play," Mendoza said. "Depending on matchups, off days for some of the guys, Bo will slide over at times, but, in the meantime, Mauricio is going to get the majority of the opportunities here."

The Mets also recalled right-hander Christian Scott from Triple-A Syracuse to start Thursday and right-hander Austin Warren was sent down.

The calf injury extends an arduous monthslong stretch for Lindor. The five-time All-Star underwent right elbow surgery in October, which kept him from being cleared for insurance for the World Baseball Classic. In late February, while training with the team before the official start of spring training, Lindor fractured his left hamate bone, which sidelined him for most of camp.

He returned in time for Opening Day, but he toiled through another slow start at the plate -- a pattern that has emerged over the course of his career -- and began the season batting .184 with one home run, one RBI and a .577 OPS through 19 games. He was finding his rhythm over the past week, going 7-for-17 with a home run, four RBIs and a 1.092 OPS over five games.

Then Francisco Alvarez scorched a line drive to the right-center field gap in the fourth inning Wednesday.

Lindor raced from first to third on Alvarez's hit and continued home to give the Mets a 2-1 lead. It was there, when he rounded third base, that the discomfort in his left calf surfaced. Lindor's sprint slowed down as he grimaced and labored, making a seemingly easy run a close play at the plate. Lindor just beat the relay throw home with a feet-first slide and remained on the ground with his head down for an extra moment.

"Because I knew I got it, I knew something happened," Lindor said. "I was just hoping it wasn't that bad."

Lindor was immediately removed from the game and replaced by Bichette, but he said he was encouraged by his ability to walk off the field. He said his calf felt better Thursday than his right calf did the day after he injured it in early February of 2019 while he was with Cleveland. Lindor was reinstated from the injured list on April 20, nearly three weeks into the season and more than two months after suffering the injury.

Lindor insisted he will "100%" return this season. When is unclear. For now, he'll stay off his feet with treatment heavy on icing and soft tissue work while his teammates, winners for the first time in nearly two weeks, will look to stack more wins without him.

"Whenever I miss games, it is disappointing," Lindor said. "But at the end of the day, I'm super encouraged with what I saw yesterday. I feel like the group is in the right direction and the guys are ready. They're hungry and they're ready to start winning games."br/]