Francisco Lindor hamate surgery: Doctor reveals real timeline for ‘painful’ injury recovery

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — The Mets provided a return-to-play timeline of six weeks for Francisco Lindor as he begins his journey back from left hamate bone surgery.

So, is it a reasonable expectation for Lindor to be in the starting lineup when the Mets open the regular season exactly six weeks from Thursday?

Dr. Jacques Hacquebord, an orthopedic hand surgeon with NYU Langone, thinks it’s possible, but there is a real time crunch.

“Six weeks is not unreasonable for a professional athlete,” Hacquebord told NJ.com on Wednesday, “but that is pushing it.”

Hacquebord explained that the hamate bone surgery is a straightforward procedure. All that needs to heal after the incision on the hand is the skin and soft tissue.

In that sense, barring any setbacks, Lindor should absolutely be available to play by the time the regular season begins on March 26. That explains why the Mets are so optimistic that the shortstop will be ready to go.

What version of Lindor takes the field to begin the regular season is the bigger question. That’s especially the case when it comes to his power at the plate. Players often lose some of the impact early on after this type of procedure because the strength in their hand and wrist diminishes.

“Excising the hamate there is the equivalent of having a really, really deep cut in your palm,” Hacquebord said. “For a baseball player, if someone sustained a really deep cut of their palm, would they be able to hold a bat, hit a ball, catch a baseball reliably and comfortably if that incision over the palm is still sensitive?”

Hacquebord added that it’ll likely take Lindor eight weeks, if not 10 or more, to return to 100% where he’s playing without any pain related to this injury. Lindor has a track record of playing through injuries, but this would be a new challenge.

It certainly sounds like opting for the surgery — even if Lindor only has a stress reaction and not a fractured hamate bone — was the right choice, though. Had Lindor tried to treat this injury without surgery while ramping up for this season, this could’ve turned into a much longer ordeal as the shortstop would’ve been at risk of breaking the hamate bone down the road.

“It may be very uncomfortable for him to play,” Hacquebord said, “but it’s unlikely to be causing any long-term harm. If, however, it was a hamate bone that they were trying to get to heal for it to be fixed, then if you go return to play too early, you could cause permanent harm. This, because it’s presumably a hamate excision, returning early to play, the biggest negative just may be that it’s painful.”

Hamate injuries have been a common injury for stars so far this spring. Jackson Holliday of the Orioles and Corbin Carroll of the Diamondbacks both suffered broken hamate bones this offseason. Baltimore has already said that Holliday will be out to begin the regular season.

The Mets, meanwhile, are confident that Lindor can recuperate on schedule and be ready for Opening Day.

“Knowing Lindor, I’m not going to bet against him,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Wednesday. “He’s a guy that’s played through broken toes and the low back two years ago. Barely walked and he continued to play through it. So we’re still optimistic that he’s going to be available for us in Opening Day, but we just gotta wait and see.”

While Lindor is sidelined over these next several weeks, look for the shortstops already present at Mets camp to fill in and get starts in Grapefruit League games in his place. Mendoza and Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns both mentioned the likes of Ronny Mauricio and Vidal Bruján as well as non-roster invitees Jackson Cluff and Grae Kessinger.

Down the road, the Mets could look to import a superior option to be a stopgap while Lindor is out. They could also slide Bo Bichette back over to shortstop from his new spot at third base, although that isn’t something that’s been considered yet.

“Not on the table right now,” Mendoza said. “We need to make sure he’s getting comfortable at third base.”

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