Mets Legend Comes to Francisco Lindor's Defense

Lindor has struggled at the plate and made mental mistakes in the field, but former Mets star Jose Reyes and manager Carlos Mendoza are standing by the shortstop.

Apr. 2, 2026 at 7:05pm by Ben Kaplan

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A fragmented, geometric painting depicting a baseball player in motion, with sharp planes of color and overlapping perspectives conveying the complexity and challenges of the sport.A fractured, cubist interpretation of a baseball player's movements captures the mental lapses and struggles that even star players can face.San Francisco Today

New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor has gotten off to a slow start this season, going just 3-for-21 (.143) with no RBIs in the team's first six games. Lindor also made two costly mental mistakes in the field and on the bases during a recent loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. However, former Mets star Jose Reyes and current manager Carlos Mendoza have come to Lindor's defense, urging fans to be patient as the five-time All-Star looks to turn things around.

Why it matters

Lindor is a key player for the Mets and the team's de facto captain. His early-season struggles and mental lapses are concerning, but the support from Reyes and Mendoza shows the organization is standing by him as he works to get back on track. The Mets are hoping Lindor can regain his All-Star form to help the team return to the playoffs in 2026.

The details

In the Mets' loss to the Cardinals, Lindor first forgot how many outs there were in the first inning, calmly jogging to second base on a ground ball with one out. He then started jogging towards the dugout, thinking the inning was over. Later in the game, Lindor got picked off of first base in the sixth inning, which proved to be the difference in the Mets' 2-1 extra-inning defeat. Lindor took responsibility for the mistakes, telling reporters, "I forgot the outs. I made a mistake that probably cost [Freddy] Peralta to go an extra inning because he had to throw more pitches after that."

  • On April 2, 2026, the Mets lost 2-1 to the Cardinals in 11 innings.
  • In the first inning of that game, Lindor forgot how many outs there were.
  • In the sixth inning, Lindor got picked off of first base.

The players

Francisco Lindor

The Mets' starting shortstop and five-time All-Star who has struggled at the plate and made mental mistakes in the field to start the 2026 season.

Jose Reyes

A former Mets shortstop who came to Lindor's defense on social media, urging fans to be patient as Lindor works to turn things around.

Carlos Mendoza

The Mets' manager, who also defended Lindor, saying the team trusts his decision-making and knows he made mistakes.

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What they’re saying

“Relax everybody... my guy Francisco Lindor gonna be good. Bad days happen — that's baseball. Could happen to anyone. He's human just like all of us. Watch how he responds... this gonna be good for him and for the organization”

— Jose Reyes, Former Mets Shortstop

“You trust the decision-making with this guy, he knows that he made a mistake.”

— Carlos Mendoza, Mets Manager

“I forgot the outs. I made a mistake that probably cost [Freddy] Peralta to go an extra inning because he had to throw more pitches after that.”

— Francisco Lindor

What’s next

The Mets will look for Lindor to bounce back when they begin a three-game series against the San Francisco Giants on Thursday.

The takeaway

Despite Lindor's early-season struggles, the Mets organization is standing by their star shortstop. The support from Reyes and Mendoza shows they believe Lindor will turn things around and play a key role in the team's quest to return to the playoffs in 2026.