Francisco Lindor’s Opening Day Status Uncertain for Mets Following Hand Surgery

Francisco Lindor underwent a hamate surgery on his left hand and will be out of action for at least 4-6 weeks.

Francisco Lindor’s Opening Day Status Uncertain for Mets Following Hand Surgery

Francisco Lindor (Image via ESPN)

The New York Mets have suffered an early setback. Ahead of the 2026 Spring Training, Francisco Lindor suffered a hamate injury in his left hand and underwent surgery to repair it. His participation in the 2026 Opening Day is uncertain.

Lindor, the 5-time All-Star, underwent surgery on his right elbow in the offseason after the Mets failed to make it to the postseason. This offseason surgery cost him participation in the World Baseball Classic (WBC) as he was not approved for insurance.

Now, even if he were approved, he would not have been able to participate in the international tournament and represent Puerto Rico, as he suffered this hamate injury. As the name suggests, the hamate injury is caused in the hamate bone.

The hamate bone is a small (typically less than an inch) wedge-shaped bone located in the wrist on the pinky side. It is a common injury among baseball stars as the knob of the bat usually presses on the hamate bone.

With the way the knob rests on this bone, MLB stars are more prone to potential hamate bone breaks than the average person.

The typical recovery time from this injury is from 4 to 8 weeks. With the Spring Training around the corner, Lindor will miss this. His participation with the Mets on Opening Day is also uncertain. However, the team is optimistic that the player will recover in time and be with them in Game 1 of the season.

We’re still optimistic that he’s going to be available for us on Opening Day, but we’ve just got to wait and see.

NY Mets Manager Carlos Mendoza said regarding Francisco Lindor

The 2025 season was one to forget for the Mets and Lindor. Both the team and the player suffered a major drop in form.

Despite recovering from the slump and finishing the season with 31 home runs, 86 RBIs, and a .267 batting average, Lindor was unable to help his team avoid a disappointing end to the year. On the final day, the Mets lost 4-0 against the Miami Marlins and missed the playoffs.

While many players in the past have suffered this injury, they have recovered in time and performed well. In June 1996, Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. missed a month of action due to this injury. He still went on to finish 4th in the MVP race.

If Lindor is not fit for Opening Day, the team could make Bo Bichette play as the shortstop. At the moment, the team is expecting their new star to play in the 3rd base position while Lindor takes his usual shortstop position.

Francisco Lindor not the only MLB player to suffer hamate injury this offseason

Francisco Lindor will be out of action and miss Spring Training due to a hamate injury in his left hand. However, the New York Mets star is not the only MLB player to suffer from this injury.

Francisco Lindor
NY Mets’ Francisco Lindor (Image via Imago)

Earlier on Wednesday, the Arizona Diamondbacks announced that Corbin Carroll had suffered this injury. Unlike Lindor, Carroll suffered this injury on his right hand. He will now miss the World Baseball Classic and his participation on Opening Day is in question.

That same day, the Baltimore Orioles also made an announcement regarding this. The O’s revealed that Jackson Holliday had also suffered a hamate injury. The 22-year-old will miss the start of the season following this setback.

In the space of 24 hours, 3 players were reported to have suffered a hamate injury. All of them are now heading towards the unwanted injured list.

Like Lindor, both Carroll and Holliday were among the best performers for their team. Carroll finished 7th in the NL MVP race after smashing 31 home runs and having a slash line of .259/.343/.491 in 143 games.

Meanwhile, Holliday showed considerable improvement in 2025. After hitting with just a .189 average in 60 games during the 2024 season, the former No.1 MLB Pipeline prospect posted a .242/.314/.375 slash line with 21 home runs and 55 RBIs in 149 games.

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