While Francisco Lindor Is Working Through A Slump Mets Are Looking For An Alternative

Tens of thousands of spectators at Citi Field have been booing Francisco Lindor over the past week. The Mets shortstop wants them to continue playing until he has regained their confidence.

After striking out three times in four at-bats without recording a single on Saturday, Lindor didn’t beg for a break from the jeers he heard.

He also didn’t try to hide the fact that he was the target of more boos than any other deserving contender at Citi Field’s listless Mets’ 2-1 loss to the Blue Jays.

While Francisco Lindor Is Working Through A Slump Mets Are Looking For An Alternative

Since he destroyed his former club, the Guardians, at Citi Field more than two weeks ago, Lindor has gone into another rut during the Mets’ previous four games. Lindor is 5-for-44 (.114) with seven RBI, four runs, and nine strikeouts in his previous 11 games.

The Mets’ offence has struggled against the Blue Jays, scoring just one run in two losses to start the series on Friday and Saturday, which has added to Lindor’s problems.

Francisco Lindor, whose talent is above average but whose offensive output thus far has been fairly average, may be the first on the list of Mets concerns right now.

With 60 games played, Lindor had a.688 OPS, which ranked him 26th out of 48 shortstops with at least 50 plate appearances as of Monday.

Although Lindor still possesses power, his contact has been weak. A man with a $341 million deal who bats first for the Mets virtually every game has not yet displayed the traits of a top-of-the-order hitter.

“Last year I went through [a slump], and it hurt,” Lindor said this weekend, when he finished up a 2-for-22 homestand that included eight strikeouts. “This year I’m going through it, and it hurts. I’ll probably go through it late in the year again, and it will hurt the same amount. It’s just one of those [things] that you’ve got to work [your way out of].”

Lindor has stated that he would rather play his way out of slumps than rest for a few days.

For a Mets club with limited options, Lindor’s good glove makes him useful even when he is not hitting.

Jeff McNeil, then, if not Lindor? Erick Escobar? Even Mark Canha has been named as a potential possibility by Buck Showalter.

“Who would play shortstop?” the manager asked rhetorically Sunday before addressing McNeil, Pete Alonso and Brandon Nimmo, too. “They’re good players. They will seek their level. Sooner or later they seem to always follow the track record. Right now, it’s not happening in some cases.”

Buck Showalter shouldn’t go much farther than the choices he has already considered in the past to replace Lindor at the top of the Mets’ lineup. Starling Marte, the former #2 hitter who has just turned around his season, might move back to the top of the lineup if Jeff McNeil were to remain in the #3 place. The Mets could consider moving Mark Canha or Francisco Alvarez back to the #2 place as well.

In either case, there are several players who could step in for Lindor at the top until his bat begins to heat up.

 

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