Francisco Lindor is struggling with his performance, and he admits he’s at a loss for why. It’s not as if he has any excuses to offer either.
Fortunately, he won’t miss significant time in spring training due to a hamate injury, and the absence of Juan Soto isn’t adding any stress to his role as shortstop.
“I don’t know. I feel like I’m trapped,” Lindor expressed following yet another loss for the Mets, who fell to the Athletics, 11-6, at Citi Field. “It just happens. We need to improve.”
The defeat underscored some recent mistakes by Lindor. For instance, during the second inning, the Athletics missed an opportunity for a double play, which let a runner score. Instead of covering second base, Lindor ran toward the middle. Marcus Semien, the second baseman, fielded the ball and, with no one available to throw to, simply stepped on second base for a force out.
“I chased the ball and Marcus was there,” Lindor acknowledged. He noted that his season batting average is just .167 with no RBIs. “I couldn’t get to second base or help with a double play. Chiga could have escaped the inning, but I wasn’t able to assist him.”
“There were no misunderstandings. He’s one of the best second basemen around, and you should always expect him to be in position. No miscommunication there,” Lindor clarified.
This isn’t the first time such an oversight occurred. Earlier, on April 1, during a game against the Cardinals, Lindor lost track of how many outs there were on a double play, causing pitcher Freddy Peralta to make an extra throw to close out the inning. Later in that match, he also got picked off while adjusting his sliding mitt.
Another slip-up happened just recently. With runners on first and third and no outs while trailing by a run, Lindor only managed to hit a partial ground ball to first base and was thrown out while trying to retreat to third. Afterward, he noted that he should have aimed to create a rundown to help other runners advance. Subsequently, the next hitter, Luis Robert Jr., grounded into an inning-ending double play.
“It’s odd, because that’s not typical for him,” said coach Carlos Mendoza. “It’s tough to explain. He knows he has to improve. I’ve never seen him play like this. He sometimes gets out of position.”
Lindor refuted the notion that his injury during spring training has influenced his poor performance. He remarked that the heightened expectation to perform doesn’t weigh on him as it has in previous years.
“There’s always some pressure, and yes, I put a lot on myself because I hold myself to high standards,” Lindor explained. “That part hasn’t really changed.”
