Mets say injured shortstop Francisco Lindor to be evaluated again in 3 weeks

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Mets provided some more information Friday on the status of injured shortstop Francisco Lindor. There's still no projected timeline for Lindor's return, but the five-time All-Star will wear a protective boot on his lower left leg for the next week. He will undergo imaging again in three weeks and then be re-evaluated. Lindor was placed on the 10-day injured list Thursday because of a left calf strain, with manager Carlos Mendoza saying only that the switch-hitter was "going to be down for quite a bit here.” “We've still got a lot of people looking at this,” Mendoza said before Friday night's game against the Colorado Rockies. Lindor got hurt while scoring from first base on Francisco Alvarez's double Wednesday night in a 3-2 victory over Minnesota that ended New York's 12-game losing streak. The injury came just hours after star slugger Juan Soto was reinstated from the IL after missing 15 games with a right calf strain that wasn't as severe as the one sustained by Lindor. “We've got to see where this is in three weeks and see how the healing goes,” president of baseball operations David Stearns said. Ronny Mauricio was recalled Thursday from Triple-A Syracuse and he started at shortstop Friday for the second consecutive game. Soto was the designated hitter for the third game in a row since returning, even though he initially had been slated to play left field Thursday night. Mendoza said keeping Soto at DH allowed him to start three straight games. “Finding ways to keep his bat in the lineup while we’re not putting him at risk," Mendoza said. "If he needs a day, he needs a day. As much as we need his bat in the lineup, he’s going to get days (off).” Right-hander was optioned back to Syracuse after a wild outing Thursday against the Twins in his first major league start since undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2024. New York selected the contract of veteran right-handed reliever . from its top farm club. Scott issued five walks and lasted only 1 1/3 innings. He also hit a batter with a pitch and committed a balk, but the Mets pulled out despite a Left-hander is scheduled to pitch Wednesday night against when that turn in the rotation comes up next — although it could be in a bulk-relief role again, rather than a start. In another update, Stearns described 's status as week-to-week, rather than day-to-day. The first baseman and DH is on the 10-day injured list with a bruised right wrist — although he's also dealing with bursitis in his left heel, which has bothered him since very early in the season. Mendoza said Polanco is feeling better. He is scheduled to undergo more testing this weekend. Left-handed reliever remains on target to return in early May from left lat surgery that cut short his 2025 season. “Injuries are part of this, and injuries to good players are part of this," Stearns said. "We’re certainly not the only team in baseball that deals with this, and we just have to get through it.” The 12-game skid was New York's longest since August 2002. The Mets won back-to-back games once Soto returned to the lineup, but no team has ever made the playoffs during the same season in which it lost 12 consecutive games. “I still think we're a good team. I recognize we had a stretch where we did not play good baseball and it cost us, and cost us repeatedly, but I think we're a good team and I think we will show that,” Stearns said. “Yes, it's a frustrating stretch and we didn't play well. We're also not going to wholesale-change our evaluation of our team over a two-week stretch. This is a long season. Going through a 12-game losing streak is difficult and it's not usual. There's a reason it doesn't happen very often. Even with that, I don't think it should change our overall evaluation of the team — especially this early in the season.” \\_ AP MLB: