Spring training is only just starting and there's already some unfortunate news for New York Mets fans. While the Philadelphia Phillies will convene to begin their training camp on Wednesday, the rival Mets got started in Port St. Lucie on Tuesday and did so with a bang, announcing that star shortstop Francisco Lindor might need surgery.
Mike Puma of the New York Post reported that Lindor may be facing surgery for a hamate bone stress reaction. Hamate bone injuries have a scary reputation, so it's understandable why Mets fans might be freaking out right now. Lindor's left hand will be evaluated on Wednesday and if surgery is required, he'll need six weeks.
Francisco Lindor may be facing surgery for hamate bone says David Stearns. Will be evaluated tomorrow. If surgery needed will miss six weeks.
— Mike Puma (@NYPost_Mets) February 10, 2026
Mets' Francisco Lindor dealing with hamate bone issue while Phillies, NL East looks on
Regardless of whether he has surgery or not, this could have an impact on the Phillies and the rest of the NL East. Before any meaningful baseball has been played, FanGraphs already projects the Mets to finish ahead of the Phillies in the NL East this season. Those odds will change as we move through the spring and into the regular season, but starting the year out like this isn't what Mets fans likely had in mind.
While hamate bone injuries are notoriously believed to sap a hitter's strength at the plate, there's isn't long-term evidence of that after surgery. There's no indication that it's even a fracture at this point, as they're calling it a stress reaction that he began feeling over the last couple of days, according to MLB.com's Anthony DiComo.
But any kind of wrist/hand problems can sabotage a hitter's season, as Phillies fans found out with Bryce Harper's wrist issues last year.
Lindor is the remaining piece of the "old" Mets infield after they completely revamped the other three positions this offseason. While he would return around Opening Day if surgery's required, it's hard to say if there will be lingering effects on the five-time All-Star.
Projected to hit leadoff this year, losing Lindor for any amount of time or having him compromised in any way will hurt the Mets' offense. At the very least, he'll miss the usual ramp-up time to the season, which might affect him at the plate early on.
Over the last four seasons, Lindor has been about as steady as they come, batting .266 with an .812 and 128 wRC+. He has hit 30-plus home runs in each of the last three seasons while compiling 382 RBIs and 430 runs scored.
The 32-year-old was a thorn in the Phillies' collective side last season, hitting .296 with an .882 OPS, four home runs, 10 RBIs, and 9 runs in 13 games.
Mets fans will be waiting with bated breath for the verdict, and Phillies fans will be looking on with interest as we get our first dose of training camp drama we've been waiting for all winter.