Ken Rosenthal not finding answers on Francisco Lindor’s bizarre start

While the New York Mets entered Friday’s game vs. the Chicago Cubs on an eight-game losing streak, questions are popping up regarding Francisco Lindor’s early-season struggles. MLB Insider Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic shared what he’s found about the situation, and it isn’t much.

While guest appearing on “Foul Territory,” Rosenthal reveals that essentially nobody is entirely sure what is going on with the 32-year-old shortstop. The popular Insider does list three possibilities as to why Lindor is struggling right now, but does admit that nothing is proving to be the set-in-stone reason.

“As for Lindor, no one seems to have a good feel for what’s going on here. Whether it’s missing spring training, or whether it’s simply a mental slump, if you can call it that,” said Rosenthal. “Or, if something is going on behind the scenes that we don’t know about, that is somehow affecting him. This does happen with players all the time.”

"No one seems to have a good feel for what's going on here."@Ken_Rosenthal cautions not to jump to conclusions with Francisco Lindor, as players sometimes deal with things behind the scenes that affect their play in uncharacteristic ways. pic.twitter.com/Siop0EIWVx

— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) April 17, 2026

The 12-year veteran entered Friday’s contest with just 14 hits, one home run, and two RBIs through 76 at-bats. That gives him a .184 batting average and .287 OBP on the season so far. Those are well below par for Lindor, and his poor play is attributing to the Mets’ struggles to begin the 2026 campaign.

Manager Carlos Mendoza moved Francisco Lindor to the bottom of the lineup recently because of how cold he’s been at the plate. For now, it appears the reason for the woes is unknown, but luckily, it’s a long season ahead, and there is plenty of time for Lindor and the Mets to turn things around.

The post Ken Rosenthal not finding answers on Francisco Lindor’s bizarre start appeared first on ClutchPoints.