Francisco Lindor injury wipes out any positives gained by Juan Soto's return

The New York Mets were figuratively entering Wednesday night. Riding a 12-game losing streak is miserable, no matter how you frame it. (Especially when your closer blows two games in a row.) They added some literal hurt after Francisco Lindor exited the game against the Minnesota Twins with an injury.

Lindor's injury comes just as Juan Soto returned to the lineup after missing 15 games with a calf strain. It wasn't Soto who sparked the Mets offense on Wednesday though. It was Lindor who played a part in two of NY's runs three runs. He drove in Bo Bichette for the opening run and slid home to score on Francisco Alvarez's double in the fourth inning. But that was also the play that resulted in his departure from the game.

Lindor looked hampered as he ran the bases, visibly grimacing as he rounded third with a hitch in his step.

Francisco Lindor injury update: Left calf tightness caused exit

The Mets called Lindor's issue "left calf tightness." What did they call Soto's calf strain when he exited the game on April 3? You got it, "right calf tightness." You literally can't make this stuff up.

An MRI determined Soto had a mild calf strain but it still landed him on the IL and resulted in a 15-game absence. Lindor will need an MRI to determine the extent of his injury. There's a world where it's completely minor and he doesn't miss significant time... But this is the Mets we're talking about, so preparing for the worst possible outcome seems reasonable.

After the game, the Mets called up Ronny Mauricio on Wednesday night after Lindor's injury. It doesn't exactly point to good news.

Lindor's go-ahead run didn't last long. Byron Buxton homered for the Twins in the sixth to tie things back up at 2-2. In the end, Mark Vientos played the hero with an eighth-inning RBI to ultimately win the game 3-2.

Getting Juan Soto back means little without Francisco Lindor

Who knows, maybe down is up and up is down and the Mets will make a run after ending the losing streak, finding their way only after their Gold Glove shortstop and team leader isn't available. Stranger "addition by subtraction" situations have happened in baseball. And maybe the Mets will make the playoffs! (Even though no team with a 12-game losing streak has ever done that.)

The more likely outcome isn't something Mets fans want to hear. Simply put, losing Lindor is far more costly than regaining Soto. Sure, New York needs Soto's bat to pull their offense out of a hole. He should help greatly on that front. Still, Lindor's all-around impact matters more.

Francisco Lindor's absence creates three new problems for the Mets

Getting Soto back may solve one problem. His plate discipline remains elite (.412 pre-injury OBP) and the Mets were averaging more than half a run per game better with him in the lineup.

Losing Lindor creates three new problems: 1. No defensive anchor, 2. No clubhouse leader, 3. One less consistent baserunner.

Defensive anchor

Defensively, Lindor is one of the best in the game. Bichette can't match his defensive prowess. Lindor's Outs Above Average in 2025 was 5. Bichette's was -13. Nor is Bichette in a position to manage the rest of the defensive lineup, especially with Baty taking the hot corner.

The Mets didn't even want to use Bichette at shortstop at all this year. They had to go back on that plan with a quickness, disrupting his development at third base in the process.

Clubhouse leader

There isn't a player in the clubhouse who can stand in for Lindor's leadership presence, especially with Starling Marte leaving New York for Kansas City during the offseason. Soto certainly isn't going supply the voice the Mets need to turn this around.

Whatever Lindor was doing to get things turned around before his injury wasn't working though. So maybe new leadership is needed. Finding that person to inspire the team is the hard part.

Most consistent baserunner

Like most of the Mets, Lindor's offense has been dire during this stretch but he was just starting to heat up. On Tuesday he hit is second home run of the season. On Wednesday, he drove in and scored a run. Even through the weak stretch, Lindor has been NY's best baserunner. He has scored 14 runs this season; he's the only Met in double digits.

New York very nearly had Soto back in the lineup and Lindor's bat getting hot to close out the month of April. Now they only have one of those things to rely on. At least for however long Lindor is out.

Again, this could all be catastrophizing. Lindor could be completely fine. What a change of fortune that would mean for the Mets.

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