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3 NY Mets players who could replace Francisco Lindor as the primary leadoff hitter

Who'd be the best choice to hit first in the Mets lineup?
Apr 10, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) hits a single against the Athletics during the sixth inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
Apr 10, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) hits a single against the Athletics during the sixth inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Things are not going well with Francisco Lindor. Statistically, he’s a mess. Far bigger are the lapses on defense and on the basepaths. It’s at the point where anything he does has New York Mets fans questioning where his head is at. On Saturday, it was another case of seeming to forget the number of outs.

It’s no better at the plate with a .167 batting average that actually rose after a 1 for 5 day with 2 Ks. His high walk rate to begin the year has fallen by the wayside. The Mets have already made some lineup alterations with the next big one they could implement being to drop him out of the leadoff spot.

If so, who could replace him?

Three candidates replace Francisco Lindor as the primary Mets leadoff hitter in 2026

1) Luis Robert Jr. - the best choice at the moment

If you were going to do something about this right now, Luis Robert Jr. isn’t a bad choice. The biggest negative is he is sitting regularly which would leave a gap of games where the Mets would have to put someone else in there instead. Robert has been the team’s most consistent hitter this year, slashing .319/.458/.447 to begin the year. The Mets moved him up to second in the order on Saturday. If he continues to hit this well and show such great plate discipline, Robert becomes a viable candidate.

2) Bo Bichette - the sort of makes sense candidate

A C-story from Saturday’s game was Bo Bichette homering for the first time and raising his average to .250. His approach at the plate hasn’t screamed with leadoff hitter potential, but we also know there’s more in him than what we’ve seen. The likeliest candidate to hit .300 on the roster when the season began, Bichette profiles far better as a number two or three hitter. It’s still worth a try and might be one option to keep him going while kickstarting Lindor.

3) Juan Soto - the guy they should, but probably won't

Would the Mets dare bat Juan Soto leadoff? They’ll need to wait another two weeks or so to give it a try. Soto has hit second or third with the Mets and showed no signs of changing it last year. Lindor would hypothetically get better pitches to hit with Soto behind him so this seems like a farfetched way to get him right. But if the Mets continue to struggle and Lindor isn’t doing much of anything at the top of the order, they need to think more about the betterment of everyone than just him.

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