What Francisco Lindor Must do to be Ready for Opening Day

The Mets remain optimistic that Francisco Lindor will be ready for Opening Day, but want him to get into some game action before the end of spring training.

Feb 17, 2026; Port St. Lucie, FL, USA; New York Mets infielder Francisco Lindor (12) speaks to bench coach Kai Correa (not pictured) during spring training at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The New York Mets have just over two and a half weeks until the regular season starts, and their biggest question on the board remains the availability of star shortstop Francisco Lindor.

Things appear to be going well for Lindor, who underwent surgery last month to repair a fractured hamate bone in his left hand, but he has yet to appear in a Grapefruit League game.

Francisco Lindor played catch yesterday and the hope is he’s able to take batting practice tomorrow. Seems like a good sign for the notoriously quick healing Lindor to reach his goal to play Opening Day.

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) March 3, 2026

Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns met the media in Port St. Lucie on Monday to discuss a number of relevant topics for his mid-camp availability, with Lindor's status coming up early in the press conference. Stearns indicated that the Mets remain optimistic Lindor can head north with them for Opening Day, but the team wants to see him get into game action before they make that decision.

David Stearns says the Mets remain optimistic about Francisco Lindor's ability to play on Opening Day:

"All indications we have is this is going as planned" pic.twitter.com/tPrmBKJncH

— SNY (@SNYtv) March 9, 2026

Lindor is a notably fast healer and has been getting in work on fielding drills at camp, but participating in baseball activities isn't the same thing as experiencing game action. Stearns did not provide a timetable for when the Mets are expecting Lindor to participate in games, although he did note that playing in a simulated game or two could be on the table as an alternative to a Grapefruit League game.

Francisco Lindor works on infield footwork pic.twitter.com/Hn4OAP406F

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) March 4, 2026

The Mets Appear To Be In Good Shape With Francisco Lindor's Health

Even if Lindor isn't ready on Opening Day, which is still possible even with him telling Tim Britton of The Athletic that he is hoping to be there, it shouldn't be too much later than the first week or two of the season. If the Mets deem Lindor will be available in early April instead of late March, it would make more sense for them to use a short-term fill-in like Vidal Brujan as their shortstop instead of starting the clock on Ronny Mauricio's final option year.

Lindor told Britton that he usually likes to have between 50-60 at-bats in spring training to get ready for the season but is willing to adjust that number this year, hoping that the quality of his reps matters more than the quantity. Even if Lindor only plays a handful of games, he told Britton that he can get a feel for his swing by stacking at-bats on the back fields later in spring if he is falling behind.

The interesting thing to track with Lindor early in the season is if his power is slow to return following the hamate bone injury, which has been a common occurrence for others who have suffered that issue in the past. Lindor has traditionally been a slow starter for most of his career, but the Mets will need his power production more than ever after letting Pete Alonso walk in the winter while trading Brandon Nimmo to Texas.

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