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New York Mets: Francisco Lindor having a cursed 2021 season

By Steven Kubitza

NEW YORK, NY - JULY 9: Francisco Lindor #12 of the New York Mets at bat during the first inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Citi Field on July 9, 2021 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Adam Hunger/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - JULY 9: Francisco Lindor #12 of the New York Mets at bat during the first inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Citi Field on July 9, 2021 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Adam Hunger/Getty Images) /
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It would be a massive understatement to say Francisco Lindor has been a disappointment in his debut season with the New York Mets. While he does have a WAR over 2.0, fans were hoping for more after he signed a decade-long $341 million deal.

But July brought some good vibes around the shortstop as he was slashing .333/.489/.500 in the month through Friday. Unfortunately, as soon as the good news started, some bad news followed. Lindor is now on the 10-day injured list with a strained oblique.

2021 may just not be Francisco Lindor’s year

Lindor was finally breaking out of his slump and now when he returns, he may do so with lingering oblique problems. This is terrible news for a Mets team also dealing with an ace in Jacob deGrom who keeps having his own lingering injury issues.

The good news is that as of right now, the Mets still sit atop the National League East division. However, the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves are right there as well. They have reached this level without too much help from Lindor, who has only driven in 36 runs to this point. Forgetting about 2020, his career-low was 51 RBIs during a 2015 season in which he only appeared in 99 games as a rookie.

The Mets are going to have a real tough time competing if deGrom is not around in October at his normal elite level. And forget about that for now, because they may not even make the postseason if he can’t return.

dark. Next. Jacob deGrom injury leaves NL East wide open

Mets fans obviously had World Series thoughts in mind from the moment Lindor joined the organization. But no one should see the deal as a bust after a few months of baseball. The shortstop is one of the best in the game and 2021 may just not be his year due to raised expectations and nagging injuries. The fact his WAR is still up over 2.0 also shows he isn’t terrible, but rather far closer to average than expected.

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