What is wrong with the New York Mets? And can they get back on track before it's too late?

Juan Soto’s injury leaves an offensive void

The Mets’ losing streak dates to April 7, but their problems began a few days earlier. On April 3, in a game against the San Francisco Giants, superstar slugger Juan Soto left early after feeling discomfort in his leg while running the bases. Said issue turned out to be a calf strain, pushing Soto to the injured list. And that’s where he has lingered for New York’s entire schneid.

In his absence, the Mets have ranked last in OPS, OBP, slugging percentage, extra-base hits and runs, and they’re second-to-last in walks, chase rate and home runs. They have averaged just over 2.5 runs per game since Soto’s injury. Understandably, most teams would expect a decrease in offensive production when their best player hits the shelf. But with few other Mets stepping up to shoulder the load, New York’s offense has gone arctic.

Outfielder Tyrone Taylor, Triple-A call-up MJ Melendez and catcher Francisco Alvarez have all been productive over this stint, but practically every other hitter is slumping. Polanco (6-for-33, now on the IL), Brett Baty (7-for-37, no homers) and rookie Carson Benge (6-for-40, no homers) have had particularly bad stretches.

Treading water during Soto’s relatively brief absence was a reasonable goal. Instead, the Mets have completely capsized. Thankfully, Soto should be back at some point in the next week.

Slow starts from veteran additions

By jettisoning stalwarts such as Alonso, Nimmo, Díaz and McNeil, the Mets conducted something of a clubhouse refresh. For nearly half a decade, that quartet dictated the culture in Queens, guiding the club to peaks and valleys along the way. Their departure created a vacuum, one that new faces such as Semien, Polanco and Bichette were expected to fill.

This turnover process has been made extraordinarily difficult by the group’s abysmal offensive start. That trio of newbies has posted an incomprehensibly bad .560 OPS across 245 combined plate appearances. It’s very difficult to emerge as a leader, a presence, a sounding board when you’re performing that poorly. That’s surely part of what is happening with Semien, Polanco and Bichette.

Kodai Senga’s struggles and bad timing

The Mets have scored more than two runs in a game just twice during their 11-game slide. Unfortunately, starter Kodai Senga was absolutely clobbered in both of those contests, surrendering 13 earned runs across 5 2/3 total innings. This season so far, the right-hander has been responsible for nearly 20% of New York’s total runs allowed.

This was supposed to be a bounce-back year for Senga, who looked entirely rejuvenated during spring training. He was throwing in the high-90s, with command of multiple pitches, and looked like the ace he was back in 2023, when he finished second in NL Cy Young voting. But after solid showings in his first two starts, Senga has reverted back to the ineffective version of himself. He can afford only a few more stinkers before Stearns, Mendoza and Co. start to think seriously about other rotation options.

Francisco Lindor’s horrible start

The Mets’ cornerstone shortstop has looked completely discombobulated in the early going. His failure to step up after Soto went down has played a massive role in New York’s recent run of offensive ineptitude. But while Lindor’s poor results at the plate — .600 OPS, just one homer — are certainly part of the story, something deeper seems amiss with the Puerto Rican superstar.

Lindor has already made a number of uncharacteristic mistakes in the field and on the bases, mistakes that have elicited questions around the game about his state of mind and leadership qualities. Perhaps a spring training spent rehabbing — Lindor had hand surgery in February — has contributed to the early missteps. But no matter the reason, a player with Lindor’s track record and paycheck should never look this out of sorts for this long.

Some general misfortune and bad luck

For what has historically been baseball’s most slapstick franchise, this start is business as usual. Losing in crushing fashion on Sunday because former Met Michael Conforto hit a game-tying double in the ninth and former Mets prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong used his speed to score the game-winner in the 10th was the epitome of adding insult to injury.

Statistically speaking, the Mets have indeed been unlucky in the early going. Only San Diego, Detroit and Cincinnati have underperformed relative to contact quality on offense more than New York. The Mets are 1-5 in one-run games, despite having an above-average bullpen. Eventually, sequencing and luck should return to equilibrium. And the Mets’ defense, a massive question entering this season, has actually been pretty good. So has the pitching, outside of Senga. There are some reasons for hope.

But even if the Mets are not really this bad, they’ve dug themselves quite a hole. The Atlanta Braves are already 8.5 games clear in the NL East. It’s getting late early in Queens, so the Mets better get hot quickly. Thankfully, there’s a road back to competence: A nine-game homestand against Minnesota, Colorado and Washington, three rebuilding clubs, begins Tuesday.

If the Mets stumble against that cushy lineup, it might be time to start ringing the alarm bells in earnest.