David Stearns Mic Drops: Lindor’s Wrist Evaluation and Soto’s Left Field Shift for Mets

There are days early in camp when the biggest story is which reliever showed up with a new haircut, and then there are days when the president of baseball operations steps to the microphone and casually drops enough news to make everyone in the room reach for their phones at the same time to post to Twitter. Tuesday was firmly in the latter category.

David Stearns opened his media availability with what could best be described as a one-two punch: one that caused Mets fans to inhale sharply, and another that made them blink twice just to be sure they heard correctly.

First came the Francisco Lindor update, the kind that makes you check the calendar and confirm we are still weeks from Opening Day and not already mid April. Stearns revealed the Mets shortstop “is going to be evaluated tomorrow for a left stress reaction in his left hamate bone,” after experiencing soreness in the hand and wrist area in recent days. The club is sending him to a specialist, and Stearns acknowledged what immediately popped into everyone’s heads: “It is possible this will result in a hamate surgery. If it does, that’s a six week recovery, which puts us right at opening day.” Hamate issues are practically a rite of passage for hitters. The bat knob sends shock straight into that bone, and the baseball world is littered with examples from Giancarlo Stanton and Pablo Sandoval to Mike Trout, with Mets fans recently watching Francisco Álvarez navigate the post surgery power dip that sometimes follows. Stearns struck an optimistic tone that Lindor would be ready if surgery is required, but history shows that while players often return on schedule, the early weeks can come with a temporary drop in power as grip strength rebuilds. Being back in the lineup is one milestone. Hitting balls into the second deck with authority is sometimes the next one.

He later expanded on the timeline, noting Lindor has dealt with intermittent discomfort “off and on there for a couple of years and he’s usually able to grind through it,” but this time it persisted long enough to warrant further examination. Should surgery happen, he described it as “a generally sort of clean six-week recovery… and we’ve got six weeks until opening day. So we’re optimistic he would be ready.”

Translation: nobody’s carving his name out of the lineup card just yet. And if the Mets did need short-term coverage, Stearns signaled no urgency in outlining contingency plans. “If we get closer to opening day and there are questions… we’ll cross that bridge when we get there,” he said, adding the organization has “a lot of guys in camp with shortstop experience” capable of filling in. But for now, planning continues under the assumption that No. 12 will be right where he belongs between second and third.

The second headline arrived just as quickly and landed with a thud loud enough to echo across Port St. Lucie: Juan Soto will play left field this season.

Yes that Juan Soto. That left field.

Stearns explained the move developed organically during offseason conversations between manager Carlos Mendoza and Soto, who had already been working out in left in preparation for the WBC. “He felt really comfortable there,” Stearns said. “It made sense for us from a roster perspective… everyone’s on board with it. Not something we had really contemplated coming into the offseason, but as we’ve had conversations… it made sense for all involved.”

For the Mets, the shift is less about novelty and more about flexibility. With a stockpile of athletic outfielders some in the majors, some knocking loudly on the clubhouse door opening right field creates opportunity without forcing constant spring shuffling. “Frankly, it didn’t make a lot of sense to bounce him back and forth from corner to corner during spring training,” Stearns said. “He’s comfortable in left, fits with our roster, so we’ll go forward with it.”

And no, this wasn’t the franchise bowing to a superstar preference. Stearns characterized it as collaboration rather than decree: “This was just a collaborative conversation, it kind of emerged organically. I don’t think it was really dictated by one side or the other.”

From a run-prevention standpoint the phrase Stearns invokes like it’s mandated in the organizational handbook, delivered with the calm certainty of a Lumon orientation video. The expectation remains steady regardless of corner. “We would expect Juan to have a better defensive year in right or left this year,” he said. “And so we were and are open to either, but it made sense for our roster.”

The ripple effect naturally leads to right field speculation, where Stearns mentioned several options including Carson Benge, who “is going to come to camp with a chance to make our team,” along with Brett Baty’s adaptability, Tyrone Taylor’s reliability, and possibly additional reinforcements. It’s the kind of depth chart discussion that reminds you roster building isn’t a jigsaw puzzle it’s more like three jigsaw puzzles dumped into one box, and you’re assembling them on a moving train.

Stepping back, Stearns framed the offseason through broader organizational themes improving pitching, tightening defense, and building versatility. “Coming into the offseason, we talked a lot about improving our pitching and defense,” he said. “We’ve added multiple gold glove caliber defenders up the middle, we feel like we’ve improved our pitching staff as a whole and we’re excited about the versatility of our position player grouping.”

It’s preparation for the 162-game marathon, a schedule he described with understated realism: “The unforeseen always happens. And we feel as best as we can be right now, we are prepared for the inevitable hurdles.”

That philosophy extends to rotation decisions including the possibility of six healthy starters forcing creative math. “If we have six healthy guys feeling really good on opening day, I will gladly work through that challenge,” Stearns said. “That’s a really good prompt to have.”

Elsewhere, he noted A.J. Minter’s rehab is “progressing well,” with a projected return in early May, praised prospect development that could bring another wave of pitchers toward the majors, and outlined Tobias Myers’ value as someone who “fills up the zone, has no fear and can attack hitters,” whether starting or relieving.

Asked to reflect on last season’s near-miss postseason outcome, Stearns offered the perspective of someone who knows baseball offers no rewind button. “Unfortunately we don’t get do-overs,” he said. “Every year there have always been decisions that didn’t work out but we need to move forward.”

And forward, in New York, always comes with expectations something he doesn’t shy away from. “Expectations are always high,” Stearns said. “That’s the fun part about this job the fun part about being in New York is we have expectations to win and win at a high level consistently. And I expect we’re going to do that this year.”

Which brings us back to where we started: early camp, headlines flying, and Mets fans already juggling optimism and anxiety like seasoned professionals. Lindor’s wrist will be watched closely, Soto’s new outfield address will be debated endlessly, and the roster will continue to take shape.

In other words, baseball is back where even February can feel like October if you listen closely enough.