Francisco Lindor jammed his finger in his hotel room at The Finger while closing the double doors. The incident left the New York Mets shortstop spot on the bench for the series opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
According to team manager Buck Showalter, Lindor jammed his middle finger after the New York Mets arrived in town on Wednesday night. He was replaced at shortstop by Luis Guillorme.
There was speculation that Lindor could be used as the team’s designated hitter. However, Showalter didn’t want to publicize the plans for the game. Lindor said his finger was getting worse, and he struggled with throwing.
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Showalter said he was hoping to give Lindor a day off, but the injury kept him out of the lineup. He was surprised by how quickly it happened, especially since the team hadn’t played a third of the season.
“Actually I have been looking for a day to give him, so maybe that is a blessing in disguise,” Showalter said. “But he’s kind of disappointed, obviously, he wanted to play tonight. We haven’t played a third of the season. I’m surprised something like this hasn’t happened before. It kind of accentuates how fortunate he’s been, kind of playing shortstop day in and day out.”
Lindor’s hot streak sets examples for teammates
Lindor entered Thursday on a tear, and it carried over into the game. This season, it was the first time that the New York Mets received a strong dose of Lindor in a game that matters.
Lindor had a noteworthy achievement during his recent streak. He reached base in 10 straight games, which was the longest such streak by a Met since Mike Piazza in 2006. Additionally, over the next 18 games, he went 22-for-68 with three home runs and 24 RBIs.
The good thing about Lindor’s recent success is that he doesn’t have to carry the team. With the help of several other players, such as Jeff McNeil, Brandon Nimmo, and Pete Alonso, he has performed at a high level without making it a one-man show.
Nimmo said that the team’s success was not on one person’s shoulders at the beginning of the season. It was a collective effort that helped the team win. Even though the team only had a small portion of spring training, he noted that it felt like everyone on the team was capable of contributing at a high level.
“That is part of what we were trying to reiterate at the beginning of the season, I think,” Nimmo said. “Even though we only had that small portion of spring training … on this team it felt like every guy didn’t have to have it every single day. It’s not on one person’s shoulders.”
According to Nimmo, the most significant aspect of Lindor’s game is his ability to bring positive and uplifting energy to the team each day. He said that this attribute has to be learned to help the other players around him.
“It’s very positive and uplifting and he wants to make others better around him,” Nimmo praised the injured shortstop. “That is an attribute that has to be learned. You take care of yourself first… He’s really taken on that role and that’s one thing I appreciate about him is how he cares about the other teammates and makes the whole team go, not just himself.”