Francisco Lindor Out On Wednesday, Remains Day-To-Day
New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (back) remains out of the starting nine for the third consecutive day on Wednesday, according to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. DiComo noted that manager Carlos Mendoza expressed that the starting infielder remains "day-to-day." The 30-year-old has been battling a lingering back injury that has kept him out of the lineup for the past three games. As a result, top prospect Luisangel Acuna has served as the temporary shortstop in Queens and has performed quite well, holding a .455/.455/.818 line with a double and a home run across four games. Acuna will get another start later Wednesday evening and will bat in the nine-hole against Nationals southpaw DJ Herz. Acuna is worth a look as a temporary middle infield replacement down the stretch in all leagues.
As expected, New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (back) remains out of the starting lineup for Tuesday's contest at Citi Field against the division-rival Washington Nationals. With Lindor sitting out again, rookie Luisangel Acuna is getting the start at shortstop and will bat ninth against Nationals left-hander Mitchell Parker. Lindor said on Monday that he could miss from two to five games as he deals with a back issue that has kept him out recently. Acuna, the younger brother of Braves superstar Ronald Acuna Jr., will be playing in just his third major-league game on Tuesday after recently being called up by the Mets. In his first three games, he's gone 2-for-7 with a strikeout. The Mets can't afford to be without the 30-year-old Lindor for too long as they try to secure a wild-card spot in the National League, as he's having an MVP-caliber season in 2024.
Francisco Lindor Out Against The Nationals, Hopes To Return In 2-5 Days
New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (back) is out of the team's starting lineup again on Monday against the division-rival Washington Nationals at Citi Field. Veteran Jose Iglesias will start at shortstop and bat leadoff against Nationals right-hander Jake Irvin. A lingering back issue has forced Lindor to leave early in two of the team's last three games, but an MRI exam came back clean, and he said he could miss "three to five days, or two to three, depending on how my back reacts." Fantasy managers still playing for something in 2024 will hope that the 30-year-old is true to his word and can return to action later this week, but the smart play is to bench him in weekly leagues. The 34-year-old Iglesias continues to hit and is carrying a nine-game hitting streak into Monday's contest. He's gone 12-for-32 (.375) with two doubles, an RBI and a steal during his hitting streak and is batting .319 for the Mets this year.
New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (back) was forced to exit early during Sunday's game against the Philadelphia Phillies. The veteran infielder didn't look right in his first at-bat, so the team decided to pull him out of the game for precautionary reasons. The plan is for Lindor to undergo an MRI to determine the severity of the issue. It sounds like Lindor has been dealing with this issue for weeks now, so this could be something that does end up sidelining him. Luisangel Acuna figures to take over as the starting shortstop in Lindor misses time. The 22-year-old probably isn't a great snag in fantasy formats right now but has a ton of potential heading into 2025.
New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (back) is back in the starting lineup as the Mets look to continue their playoff push against the Philadelphia Phillies. The MVP candidate left Friday's game early due to back soreness and was held out of Saturday's lineup as a precaution. This is a great sign, as the injury was not considered severe. Since the start of the month, the switch-hitting shortstop has held a .282/.364/.513 line with three doubles, two long balls, and two stole bases. Throughout the summer, the 30-year-old sits with an excellent .270/.341/.493 line with 30 home runs and 27 stolen bases. Lindor remains a high-end fantasy contributor and should be locked into all lineups down the stretch. Given his elite upside, he is always worth a look in DFS. He will face Phillies southpaw Cristopher Sanchez this afternoon.
Francisco Lindor Not In Mets Lineup On Saturday, Could Be Available Off Bench
New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (back) is not in the Mets lineup on Saturday, according to general manager David Stearns. The GM continued to add that Lindor may be available off the bench, which is a great sign for Mets fans and fantasy managers alike that were worried about the severity of Lindor's injury. The 30-year-old stated on Friday night that he would have pushed harder to stay in the Mets' 11-3 win over the Phillies if the game had been closer and that he had hoped to play Saturday. It would appear that the Mets are approaching this with a bit of caution in having him sit on Saturday. While the Mets have yet to officially release their lineup, they did recall infield prospect Luisangel Acuna from Triple-A Syracuse on Saturday and optioned outfielder DJ Stewart to Triple-A. If Acuna gets the start on Saturday in place of Lindor, he likely won't be a great fantasy or DFS option, posting just a .654 OPS in Triple-A this year. Fantasy managers should simply wait for Lindor's eventual return. If he's back in the lineup on Sunday, then he will face off against Phillies scheduled starter Cristopher Sanchez.
Francisco Lindor Leaves Game Early With Lower-Back Soreness
New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor left Friday night's game early with lower back soreness. Lindor was replaced by Eddy Alvarez in the bottom of the seventh inning. Lindor was tagged out at second after an awkward sequence of events, likely triggering his injury. No update has been provided by the team on the 30-year-old's status, but for now it should be assumed that he is day-to-day until further notice. Fantasy managers should brace themselves for Lindor to rest at least on Saturday. Should the NL MVP candidate miss any time expect Jose Iglesias to pick up starts at shortstop. Iglesias has hit for a 132 OPS+, though he is due for negative regression as his .353 wOBA is backed with a .307 xwOBA, pointing to Iglesias being the beneficiary of a bit of luck. Fantasy managers may be fine with a spot start from Iglesias but their best route forward may just be hoping Lindor's injury results in minimal time missed. UPDATE: Lindor is dealing with back tightness, per manager Carlos Mendoza. He's day-to-day and could be back in the lineup on Saturday.
Francisco Lindor Spoils No-Hit Bid With Home Run No. 31
New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor smacked his 31st home run of the season in the ninth inning on Wednesday, breaking up Bowden Francis' no-hit bid after eight hitless frames. The Mets would go on to score six runs in the ninth and win the ballgame 6-2 over the Blue Jays. With the home run, the switch-hitter is just 2-for-18 (.111) over his last five games but is having an MVP-worthy season with a .268-31-85-102-27 line along with a .358 wOBA and 135 wRC+. The 30-year-old will look to finish strong and reward fantasy managers with a Top-10 finish amongst all offensive players.
Francisco Lindor Hits 30th Homer Of Season Tuesday
New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor continued his excellent season in Tuesday's 7-2 win over the Red Sox. Lindor went 2-for-4 with a double, a two-run home run, three RBI, and a strikeout. He also stole a base. The 30-year-old turned on a third-inning Kutter Crawford offering, placing it over the right-field fence for his 30th HR of the season. Lindor has served as a higher-end fantasy option throughout his career and this season has been no different. He now owns a .271/.342/.493 slash line with 97 runs scored, 84 RBI, and 26 stolen bases in 633 plate appearances.
Francisco Lindor Homers Twice, Drives In Five Runs
New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor went 2-for-5 in Saturday's 7-1 win over the Padres, with both hits coming via the home run. The first one in the fourth inning came with the bases loaded as he drove in four runs with the grand slam off Padres starter Michael King, and the second was a solo shot in the seventh inning. Lindor now has five home runs in his last 11 games and has collected multiple hits in four of his last five. The former first-round pick is having a phenomenal year, putting together a .269-27-78-89-25 line with a .357 wOBA and 135 wRC+. The 27-year-old now has the second-best odds for N.L. MVP behind only Shohei Ohtani.
