Mets get desperate and sit Francisco Lindor for Game 2 of doubleheader

The New York Mets feel they have no choice but to bench Francisco Lindor for a game.

Perhaps a game off will give Lindor enough time to clear his head. With his slump is up to 0-for-24, Lindor is batting .151 on the season, and the Mendoza line looking more like Mount Everest than a baseline even the worst of hitters are judged on.

The Mets gave Lindor a 10-year, $340 million extension before the start of the regular season, making him one of the highest-paid players in baseball and unquestioned face of the franchise. So far, Steve Cohen’s money has been thrown in the dumpster. It’s early, of course, but Mets fans are rightfully growing a little impatient with Lindor. It’s been over a month and there have been very few reasons to cheer his name.

Mets: What is wrong with Francisco Lindor?

Lindor isn’t simply trying to pull the ball too much. It’s what Luis Rojas and recently-fired hitting coach Chili Davis tried to push on us as his hitting woes became all the more prevalent in recent weeks. No, if anything, Lindor is struggling to barrel up the ball.

That can’t be solved easily, as he’s clearly not seeing the ball well and his confidence at the plate, at least when he takes the bat off his shoulder, is not high. Lindor only has two barrels on the season, and despite having a high walk rate and low strikeout rate, doesn’t really offer much at the plate in terms of a threat atop the lineup. We’re not sure how long Rojas can justify not moving him down until he gets right.