Two of the myriad Mets on the Injured List will begin their rehab assignments on the way back to the majors this weekend, as the Binghamton Rumble Ponies will host both Francisco Lindor and Tyrone Taylor starting on Friday.
Lindor has been on the IL since April 23 with a calf strain, a similar, but more severe, version of the injury that had Juan Soto on the shelf earlier this season. Lindor’s injury has affected the Mets in many ways, whether it is on the defenisve side of the game, necessitating
a positional shift from Bo Bichette and some appearances from quad-A players like Vidal Brujan and Zack Short, or the lack of a keystone bat in the middle of their lineup.
The five-time All-Star, two-time Gold Glove winner, and four time Silver Slugger was hitting .226/.314/.355 to start the season.
When Lindor is ready to play, there’s no doubt that he will be a regular part of the Mets’ lineup going forward. That is less likely for Taylor, who already lost playing time to A.J. Ewing when he was called up on May 12. Taylor, a glove-first outfielder with limited offensive potential, is in his age 32 season, was hitting just .186/.210/.320 when he went down on May 26 with a hip flexor injury.
Since both MJ Melenedez and Eric Wagaman still have minor league options, it seems likely that one of them would be sent down to Triple-A Syracuse to make room for Taylor, at least in the interim.
The Rumble Ponies face the New Hampshire Fisher Cats at 7:05pm. The game will be available to stream on MiLB.tv.
