Francisco Lindor walks it off in win vs. Nationals

At first, it seemed like Lindor would be responsible for another disappointing game by the Mets. He let a ground ball skip past his glove that helped push across an early run in a game that stood at 1-0 until the sixth inning. Then, in the bottom of that inning, Lindor launched a 409 foot solo home run that tied the game. The Mets rallied after and held on to win this one. After a poor start to the season and calf injury that cost him most of the first half, Lindor’s now up to 12 home runs and a .769 OPS. Eight of those homers have come in his last 30 games though and he has an elite .921 OPS over that span.

Lindor’s homer was protected at 420 feet, and he also had a 104-mph double that would have been a homer in four ballparks. He’s hitting .286/.375/.549 with six homers and 18 RBI in 23 games during the second half. He totaled five homers and 12 RBI in 40 games during the first half.

The Guardians had briefly rallied to make a game of it before Lindor took Craig Yoho’s change up out some 380 feet to right field for his 10th homer of the season, putting the Mets’ lead back up to four runs. Lindor is in the midst of a challenging season offensively, but is hitting .258/.333/.518 over his last 15 games with four homers. He’s only attempted four stolen bases all season, which has broken his fantasy value almost as much as the injuries have, but Lindor is capable of reeling off a hot streak to end the season.

After the Mets’ flurry of moves in the offseason, there was plenty of speculation that the relationship between Soto and Lindor was fractured. This would seem to give those rumors a little bit more credence. Castillo mentioned that “tension” was lingering, so sources mentioned “that Peralta in June arranged for the two stars to vent and work through their disconnect.” Peralta and Lindor have confirmed that the meeting occurred, but Castillo reports that “Soto denied such a meeting happened.” The last part is not the best indicator that things have improved, but if Peralta could have helped make that relationship more palatable, it would potentially be his lasting legacy as a member of the 2026 Mets.

Lindor now has eight home runs on the season. He hit a two-run shot off Martín Pérez in the third inning and a three-run shot off Braves reliever Connor Thomas in the eighth inning. Lindor’s 2026 has been an injury-ravaged season to forget, but he certainly looked like himself at the plate on Monday. He’s hitting .233 with a .743 OPS and 23 RBI.

The veteran is starting to find his footing a bit. After a slow start coming off the injured list, Lindor is 7-for-11 in his last three games with two doubles, a home run, two runs scored, and four RBI. Given how productive he’s been over the last few seasons, it was likely only a matter of time before he started to find his rhythm at the plate.

Lindor’s home run was his sixth of the season. He hit a two-run shot off Alan Rangel in the first inning. Lindor also had a single and a double, leaving him a triple shy of the cycle. He added two walks, reaching base five times. Sunday was undoubtedly a bright spot in what’s been a season to forget for Lindor. Injuries have limited him to 43 games and he’s hitting .220 with a .694 OPS and 15 RBI.

The Mets have no interest in paying down Lindor’s contract and still view him as a valuable player. While Lindor wasn’t presented in the Mets list of untouchables they bandied around the league after the All-Star game, he also has a full no-trade clause and is owed $160 million after this season, making him a tough fit for most teams. Lindor reportedly wants to stay and declined comment when asked about his no-trade power during a recent conversation with The Athletic.

Lindor supplied the offense, doubling in a run in the first and homering in the fifth, but he cost the Mets by mishandling what should have been a game-ending double-play ball in the ninth. Lindor got no outs on the play, and the Red Sox went on to score twice to tie the game before winning it in the 10th.

Lindor is 2-for-20 in his last five games and just 10-for-56 with three extra-base hits in 15 games since coming off the injured list. The good news is that Lindor has typically been quite a bit better in the second halves of seasons than in the first halves. Unfortunately, even if the trend holds, it might be too little, too late this year.