3 Mets players who need carry the team if Francisco Lindor’s injury lingers

Francisco Lindor's injury continues to linger and these three Mets teammates need to step up.

Sep 8, 2024; New York City, New York, USA;  New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
Sep 8, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
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Francisco Lindor convinced himself and manager Carlos Mendoza to get back into the New York Mets lineup on Sunday. After an at-bat and one inning on defense, the Mets shortstop exited. In the first at-bat of the game when Lindor singled, he was noticeably hobbling to first base.

It was, yet again, the back that cost Lindor some innings on Sunday. Fans can only hold their breath with the hope that this is something that’ll get better soon.

In any sort of absence Lindor may endure, the Mets will need others to carry the team. These three must uplift the team quickly before the only kind of lifting they do is as pallbearers. 

1) Pete Alonso 

We’ve been waiting for months for Pete Alonso to get red hot and carry the Mets on his broad shoulders. Fans have often cited his inability to hit with runners in scoring position as their biggest frustration with the big guy. Rightfully so. When you’re in the middle of the order, the one thing you should do is hit with runners on base.

Alonso isn’t having a terrible season, but it isn’t one of his best either. Developing a reputation as a guy who performs his best during “garbage time,” now is his chance to step up huge.

Alonso’s performance in the final days of the 2024 season was already essential for the Mets to make the postseason. Without Lindor, or a lesser version of him, he’s the guy the Mets will rely on to be their big run producer.

Naturally, Alonso can’t do it all by himself. Let’s put the pressure on these two others to get the job done.

2) Brandon Nimmo

The Mets chose not to move Brandon Nimmo into the leadoff spot on Saturday when Lindor was out. They, instead, opted to hand those at-bats to Jose Iglesias. He’s a natural fit to move back into the number one spot if Lindor misses any time.

Nimmo has gotten a bit of a pass this year despite challenging for several career-lows including his OBP that sat at only .336 entering Sunday. Despite already driving in a career-high 78 RBI and stealing 13 bases in 13 tries, it hasn’t been a very good season at all for the Mets outfielder.

The biggest problem has been his second-half slump. He came into Sunday batting .184/.287/.279 after the All-Star Break. A complete lack of power with just 3 home runs and 15 RBI turned what looked like an All-Star worthy campaign into one of his most forgettable ventures.

Will Nimmo figure it out? This isn’t necessarily a temporary slump. The .228 he hit in August was the second best batting average in any month this season. Like Lindor, Nimmo struggled to begin the year with only his typical high walk rate to save him.

In whatever role he could have in the final two weeks, Nimmo needs to start doing some of the heavy lifting burdened on Lindor for the last few months.

3) J.D. Martinez

J.D. Martinez has had a strange season where he has come up with some important hits but the numbers aren’t overwhelmingly great. A sub-.250 batting average and a slugging percentage way down from last season and almost 100 points below where he has been in his career, the lack of hitting and stockpile of strikeouts has made him a frustrating member of the Mets lineup.

Martinez’s presence on the Mets as a DH-exclusive player means that if he isn’t producing at the plate, he’s not giving them anything at all. He just hasn’t given the team nearly enough when right now they could use the open DH slot to give a player like Lindor a half day.

The Mets signed Martinez for one purpose and that was to give the offense-only spot in their lineup a boost. A poor July, worse August albeit with an increase in power, and a nearly absent September have Martinez trending in the wrong direction.

Something Martinez can specifically do this week is continue to tear out the hearts of left-handed pitchers. He went into Sunday slashing a terrific .286/.390/.514 against them with 6 of his 16 home runs in 123 plate appearances. More against righties would be welcomed, however, obliterating baseballs thrown by left-handed pitchers would be acceptable.

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