Francisco Lindor placed on IL in major Mets injury blow

PITTSBURGH – Only one day after returning their final key bat to the lineup/bench, the Mets have another significant injury issue. Francisco Lindor was placed on the 10-day injured list Saturday...

PITTSBURGH – Only one day after returning their final key bat to the lineup/bench, the Mets have another significant injury issue.

Francisco Lindor was placed on the 10-day injured list Saturday with a right oblique strain, leaving the Mets without one of their hottest hitters for the foreseeable future. Oblique strains typically have a 4-6 week recovery time.

Lindor sustained the injury on a swing in the fifth inning Friday night, on which he hit a grounder to second base and reached for his right side. He only took a few steps out of the batter’s box before turning right and heading into the first base dugout. The 28-year-old Lindor owns a .228/.326/.376 slash line with 11 homers and 36 RBIs.

The injury for Lindor came just as he had begun producing at a high level for the Mets. After a sluggish start to the season, Lindor has a .333/.489/.500 slash line in July with two homers and 10 RBIs.

After months of trying to get the key offensive players together, J.D. Davis returned from the IL on Friday, leaving the Mets whole in a sense, if only for a few hours. Jeff McNeil, Michael Conforto and Brandon Nimmo are other players who returned from extended IL stints in recent weeks. Lindor, who signed a $341 million contract extension in March, had been among the team’s most durable players this season, appearing in every game except one.

Travis Blankenhorn was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse to fill Lindor’s roster spot. Luis Guillorme played the final four innings at shortstop on Friday and could be an option there on at least a part-time basis.

It’s possible Lindor’s injury will push the front office to trade for a shortstop option such as Trevor Story or Javier Baez (both of whom are in their walk years for out-of-contention teams) who can be moved to third base once Lindor returns. But the Mets also signed Jonathan Villar in part last offseason because of his shortstop experience.

Villar’s playing time has largely come at third base — Davis was just activated Friday after 2 ½ months on the IL after rehabbing from a torn ligament in his left hand. Before Lindor’s injury, Rojas had suggested Villar and Davis would share playing time at third, but that plan might already be obsolete given the latest circumstances.

Lindor arrived to the Mets last winter with Carlos Carrasco in a deal that sent Amed Rosario, Andres Gimenez and two prospects to Cleveland. The veteran pitcher Carrasco still hasn’t pitched for the Mets this season after tearing his right hamstring in spring training. His first minor league rehab start occurred last Thursday.

This story originally appeared on: NyPost - Author:Mike Puma