The New York Mets had split-squad Spring Training action on Sunday. Falling 11-6 to the Washington Nationals at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches, the Mets’ other game ended in a 1-1 tie with the Miami Marlins at Clover Park.
Along with ending Sunday without a win, New York was also dealt some unfortunate news after the game against Washington. Giving 2018 first round pick Nick Madrigal the start at shortstop against the Nationals, New York lost its utility infielder for the game before he took one at-bat.
Bare-handing a weakly hit ground ball, Madrigal attempted an acrobatic throw before falling on his left shoulder.
It was announced after the game by Mets manager Carlos Mendoza that Madrigal had suffered a dislocated shoulder.
“He dislocated his left shoulder coming in on a ball,” Mendoza revealed. “He’s gonna get an MRI in the next 24 hours and then we’ll see what we got.”
Madrigal has struggled to find his footing at the Major League level after being the fourth overall draft pick by the Chicago White Sox in 2018. Competing for the backup shortstop role behind Francisco Lindor in New York, Madrigal may now be sidelined for a stretch of time.
This news is unfortunate for Madrigal and the Mets, and it also leaves New York with a decision to make.
“If Madrigal misses time, however, the Mets don’t have a clear solution to back up Francisco Lindor,” Anthony DiComo of MLB.com wrote. “In a perfect world, team officials would like to give No. 12 prospect Luisangel Acuña more seasoning in the Minors, making him a less realistic candidate for the Opening Day roster.”
Madrigal seemingly had the inside track to backing up Lindor on New York’s roster, and even if he can recover by opening day, the Mets must decide who to give those reps to in his absence. As DiComo noted, Acuña may not be MLB-ready yet, leaving the Mets with a tough decision to make.
“The Mets could decide to break camp without a backup shortstop altogether, given Lindor’s propensity to play just about every inning of every game,” DiComo added after going through the less than ideal alternatives.
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