EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsOne day after ending their 12-game losing streak, the New York Mets suffered another loss as star shortstop Francisco Lindor went on the 10-day injured list with a left calf strain.Lindor left Wednesday's game after scoring a run in the fourth inning of a 3-2 victory against the Minnesota Twins and underwent an MRI on Thursday morning. It is Lindor's first stint on the injured list in nearly five years.Lindor was injured running from first to home on Francisco Alvarez's double to the right-center field gap. The five-time All-Star grimaced and labored as he moved around the bases, unable to shift into top gear, which made for a close play at the plate. He slid feet first, just beating the relay throw, and stayed on the ground for an extra moment before going into the Mets' dugout and didn't emerge for the fifth inning.Slugger Juan Soto played his first game Wednesday night since suffering the same injury -- to his right calf -- on April 3."We got relatively good news with Soto and [he] still [missed] three weeks," manager Carlos Mendoza said after Wednesday's loss. "So we'll see what we're dealing with."... We can't sit here and make excuses. It's all part of it. We lost Soto and we had a hard time. ... We got to figure it out. We got to find a way."Lindor, 32, has appeared in every game for the Mets this season after sitting out most of spring training because of a fractured left hamate bone in his hand. He has played through a variety of different ailments in recent seasons, including lower back soreness in 2024 and a broken right pinkie toe last season. He has not been on the injured list since straining his right oblique in July 2021.He is hitting .226 with two home runs and five RBIs this season.The Mets moved Bo Bichette from third base to shortstop following Lindor's injury, but Mendoza declined to declare Bichette his starting shortstop should Lindor be placed on the injured list. Bichette was the Toronto Blue Jays' starting shortstop for seven seasons before joining the Mets (8-16)."I wouldn't hesitate if we need to play Bo there," Mendoza said Wednesday. "But I'm pretty sure we'll bring someone in here that's capable of playing the position as well."ESPN's Jorge Castillo contributed to this report.
