You know it’s bad when a guy can’t string two good days together in a row. That’s basically where Jorge Polanco is right now with his Achilles bursitis, and the Mets have to be wondering if this free agent signing is ever going to work out the way they hoped.
Polanco has been on the injured list since mid-April. That’s over two months ago. The switch-hitting infielder signed a two-year, $40 million deal in the offseason to give New York some flexibility at second base, first base and DH. Instead, he’s played in just 17 games and hit .179 with one home run. That’s not a typo. One homer.
What Carlos Mendoza Actually Said
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza gave reporters an update Saturday that was basically a shrug with words attached. Polanco is hitting. He ran the bases. But that’s where the good news ends.
“He’s still hitting, he ran the bases today, but going back to three, four weeks ago, there’s days where he feels good and then it flares up again and we have to slow things down,” Mendoza said.
The phrase “slow things down” probably isn’t what Mets fans wanted to hear on a Saturday in late June with the team sitting at 34-41. Especially when you remember Francisco Lindor is also hurt. The Mets are somehow only five games out of the third Wild Card spot, but that gap feels a lot bigger when your lineup is held together with tape and hope.
This Isn’t a New Pattern for Polanco
Polanco has a long injury history. That’s why a chunk of the fanbase was skeptical when the Mets handed him that contract in the winter. He’s had knee issues. He’s had ankle issues. Now it’s the Achilles, which is about as tricky as it gets for a guy who needs to plant and swing or change directions in the field.
Before he went on the IL, Polanco was already struggling. That .179 average came with a .246 on-base percentage and a .286 slugging percentage. His OPS was .532. For context, the league average OPS hovers around .730. He looked lost at the plate, and then his body started betraying him on top of it.
The Mets have been rotating through DH options and getting different looks at first base. None of it has been great. Pete Alonso is still Alonso, but beyond him, the infield depth has been tested hard. The team hasn’t confirmed a return timeline for Polanco. At this point, asking for a day where his heel doesn’t flare up might be the only realistic goal.
Mendoza didn’t sound like a guy who expects his second baseman back soon. He sounded like a guy who’s learned not to get his hopes up based on one good morning. And that’s probably the smart play right now.
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