NY Mets face long shot to recover Francisco Lindor in time for Opening Day, new report hints

The New York Mets remain confident Francisco Lindor will be in full gear for Opening Day. However, his recovery journey will be a challenge of its own. After Lindor underwent surgery on a broken hamate bone in his left hand, the race is on for him to be back for the first at-bat of the 2026 MLB season.

The Mets know Lindor is not an average Joe. He can push his limits like not many players in MLB can—or simply choose to. That was made clear after manager Carlos Mendoza revealed Lindor’s recovery timeline.

As reported by SNY’s Danny Abriano, Lindor’s teammate Francisco Alvarez underwent the same medical procedure before the 2025 MLB season and was able to return to the lineup 46 days later.

After having surgery on Feb. 11th, Lindor now has exactly 43 days before Opening Day 2026 on March 26th. In order for him to be back—and the Mets to keep their word—Lindor will have to beat the mark set by Alvarez in New York.

Francisco Lindor in action

Mets have been here before

Therefore, the Mets have been in a similar situation before. They know the time it takes to recover from surgery on a broken hamate bone, but they also know what Lindor is capable of. Regardless, the clock is now ticking for him to be fully healthy in 2026. After missing the WBC, the Puerto Rican start vies to beat the odds to start the new campaign.

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Still, many signs—if not most—hint New York may be in for a rude awakening. That was especially true when the Mets learned a disturbing update on Lindor after news broke out of the AL East, most precisely on Baltimore Orioles infielder Jackson Holliday, who has been ruled out for Opening Day after undergoing the same surgery as Lindor.

Although experts and past examples suggest Lindor will be back in six weeks, the Orange and Blue know that timeline isn’t set in stone—for better or worse, as he may return earlier or later. Given how well the Mets know their shortstop, they have a hard time believing it will be the latter.