It’s not the best time to be a shortstop in New York.
Not only was Anthony Volpe bumped to ninth in the Yankees lineup in a 5-4 win on Tuesday, but Francisco Lindor extended his hitless streak to a career-high 30 straight plate appearances, without even a walk mixed in, in a 3-2 Mets win over the Angels at Citi Field.
And Lindor’s trouble at the plate goes back longer than that, with a .524 OPS in his previous 22 games prior to Tuesday, which was worse than all but eight qualified hitters in the majors during that span, according to Fangraphs.
Worse, even, than Volpe’s .526 mark in the same stretch.
But no one is calling for Lindor to be benched or sent to the minors, thanks to his proven ability over the past 11 years, such that Carlos Mendoza referred to him Tuesday as a “future Hall of Famer.”
The same can’t be said of Volpe, whose issues on both sides of the ball have been made even more glaring because the Yankees aren’t playing well and he doesn’t have the track record to compare with Lindor.
As the other New York shortstop, Lindor said he was aware of what Volpe was going through and while he never had similar issues while a young player with Cleveland, he believed he was helped by getting less attention while playing in a smaller market.
“It’s got to be tough,” Lindor said of Volpe’s high-profile woes. “It’s got to be very tough to grow in this market. He always has the spotlight.”
And while Lindor said he didn’t need to give Volpe advice, since “he’s got great guys over there who have been doing it longer than me,” he could relate to Volpe’s current slump.
“Every year, we’re gonna go through it at some point,” Lindor said of the highs and lows of a season. “I don’t care who you are. You have to understand you’re not as bad as the moment and you’re not as good as the moment, either. You have to stay the course and everything will level out.”
He’s confident it will for Volpe.
“He’s a good player,’’ Lindor said. “You just have to grind. He’s a great defensive shortstop and when you’re not hitting well, you can rely on good defense. It’s the same thing with me. That’s what you focus on.”
It’s worked for Lindor, who’s remained excellent with his glove, even as he finds himself unproductive at the plate.
On Tuesday, despite several ovations from the home crowd, Lindor went 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts. And if the Mets want to get away from their recent inconsistent play, they’ll need Lindor to hit like he typically does.
He entered Tuesday with a .599 OPS since suffering a fractured pinky toe when he was hit by a pitch on June 4.
Mendoza said Lindor wouldn’t use the injury as an excuse.
Asked how he felt at the plate, Lindor said, “I’m getting there. I know it’s been a rough stretch, but I just have to keep at it.”
His manager agreed and said what makes him good is also what can make him prone to slumps.
“He’s a guy who’s aggressive,” Mendoza said. “He’ll go out there and he’s gonna swing. He’s gonna hack. That’s the type of player he is and he’s always been. We’re talking about a player who’s a future Hall of Famer and his way to get out of slumps is by swinging. He’s a pretty good player.”
