Don't let Mets' Lindor fall in drafts after injury
Eric Samulski evaluates Francisco Lindor's return timeline after undergoing surgery to repair his hamate bone, sharing why fantasy managers should still target him in drafts even if his power takes longer to return.
Video Transcript
Mets star Francisco Lindor recently underwent hamate bone surgery, but he is optimistic he'll be able to return on opening day.
Lindor was one of three players who injured their hamate bone right at the start of spring training, alongside Corbin Carroll of the Diamondbacks and Jackson Holiday of the Orioles.
Carroll also had surgery right around the same time that Lindor did.
the, the return timeline for hamate bone surgery is typically four to six weeks, ranging closer to six weeks.
So Lindor had the surgery back on February 11th.
The Mets open the season on March 26th on Peacock against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
So, an opening day return would put him within that four to six-week timeline.
It would be a little bit aggressive, and the Mets could decide to rest Lindor at the beginning of the season because obviously he is one of their two best players.
They wanna make sure that he's fully healthy for the season.
There's no reason to really rush him back.
However, a lot of players are able to return and play effectively immediately or in that four to six-week timeline after hamate bone surgery.
The power is something that doesn't return immediately.
So maybe Lindor does start the season early with the Mets, is ready for opening day, but that power production doesn't really start to come back until a little bit in the summer.
That does impact his fantasy value a little bit.
He's hit at least 30 homers in each of the last three seasons.
However, Lindor has also stolen at least 29 bases in each of the last three years.
He hits at the top of a good Mets lineup, so he will still have fantasy value, even if the power doesn't return until later.
Remember that Lindor hit .218 in April in 2023 and .197 in April in 2024, and he still had solid fantasy performances despite a slow start.
So don't let him fall too far in drafts.
