NEWSLETTER
Everything is magnified this time of year. You just can’t avoid it, or help the brain from churning.
So when the New York Mets, a team already in the market for an impact bat on the infield, possibly lose an infielder to a side injury, you take note. Here’s Francisco Lindor noticeably wincing, grabbing at his side, and then immediately leaving the game tonight:
Francisco Lindor left the game in the middle of the 5th inning after appearing to injure his side on a swing. pic.twitter.com/eipL4J8JCJ
— SNY (@SNYtv) July 17, 2021
Lindor went straight to the tunnel and left the game.
To be sure: (1) We don’t know whether this is a serious injury to Lindor, even if it looks like it might be the oblique (which can be a long injury, or a shorter injury); (2) Lindor is a shortstop, where Luis Guillorme was asked to cover tonight, but Jonathan Villar could probably play there with JD Davis coming back to play third base.
Those caveats in mind, yes, if it’s a long-term injury to Lindor, the attention paid to the already-smoking rumors between the Cubs and Mets about Kris Bryant is going to ratchet up substantially. Say what you will about whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing, but it’s quite conceivable that a Lindor injury will mean increased pressure to make a move for a player like Bryant. Thus: stay tuned on the Lindor injury.
