David Lennon: Mets' Jorge Polanco returns, but injury-plagued season has gotten away from him
Mets designated hitter Jorge Polanco returns to the dugout after striking out to end the third inning against the Kansas City Royals at Citi Field on Tuesday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Jorge Polanco’s stint on the IL outlived Carlos Mendoza’s 2026 stay in the manager’s chair. The last time he appeared in a game for the Mets, they were halfway through what would be a season-sabotaging 12-game losing streak, yet only four games under .500 (7-11).
Back in mid-April, when Polanco finally succumbed to a nagging case of Achilles bursitis, it was still considered early in Flushing. The $380-million Mets already had their share of bad luck, but a rebound still felt feasible, even as they suffered key injuries on almost a daily basis.
Which made Polanco’s return at DH for Tuesday night’s game against the equally-abysmal Royals another ironic milestone in this calamitous season for the Mets. A team spends days, then weeks anxiously awaiting a player to come off the IL, but eventually a point is reached where the welcome back becomes a shoulder shrug.
In Polanco’s case, he’s emblematic of this remade roster’s failings, along with Luis Robert Jr. — who remains on the IL with a lumbar spine disc herniation — and Marcus Semien, sidelined by a hip flexor strain. There’s probably nothing Polanco can do to erase that stigma for this season, and let’s not forget he’s signed for another $20 million next year, too. The fact that Polanco now plays for manager Andy Green, previously known as the Mets’ farm director, has as much to with his prolonged absence as numerous other Mets maladies, of the physical variety and otherwise.
That’s going to be difficult to bounce back from, and it’s not like Polanco is at full strength, either. The Achilles’ condition isn’t going away — not until a winter shutdown, and possibly surgical intervention — so don’t expect to see him at first base in the near future, if ever.
“I got more good days than bad days, so I think that’s why I’ve come here now,” Polanco said before Tuesday’s game. ‘I’m feeling ready to play.”
You may recall that Polanco was signed to be Pete Alonso’s replacement at a position he stood at for precisely one pitch during 12-year career in the majors. After taking a crash course at first base during spring training, Polanco appeared in two games there this season, partly over “run-prevention” concerns and also because his worsening Achilles injury made him incapable of playing defense.
Given the precarious nature of an Achilles issue, and always being one wrong step away from disaster, it’s surprising that Polanco eventually made it back, even in this limited capacity. But now that he’s returned to the lineup, strictly as a DH, here’s a quick update to how his predecessor is doing since singing that five-year, $155 million deal with the Orioles. As of Tuesday, Pete Alonso had appeared in all 91 games this season — as opposed to Polanco’s 14 — and is riding a consecutive streak of 507. He also shook off a slow start to hit 19 homers with 60 RBIs and an .810 OPS, putting him on pace for another Alonso-caliber year.
As for what the Mets can anticipate from Polanco the rest of the way, it’s more about keeping him upright on a more permanent basis. Polanco spent 11 games rehabbing in the minors, where he batted .148 (4-for-27) with three homers, including two in his last three games at Triple-A Syracuse. That’s some promising pop for a Mets team that’s middle of the MLB pack (105 HRs) but it’s uncertain how regularly Polanco can stay in the lineup.
“You never know anybody gets out of the chute there, but he felt great,” Green said. “Reports from the training staff said he was moving around better and better every day, which was very encouraging. As for how many days in a row (he’ll play), part of it is just going to be how he responds on a daily basis.”
Green pointed out that Polanco will be a big asset off the bench as a pinch hitter on days he doesn’t start, but if the Achilles was troublesome enough to stall his early comeback attempts, it’s still going to be a red flag moving forward.
“It’s frustrating because we want to be there, we want to be helping the team” Polanco said of his extended IL tour. “At the end of the day, you don’t have any type of control over that. I was just trying to get healthy, trying to get back to play, and now that I’m here, I feel happy.”
As for first base, Green was very non-committal, much like Mendoza before him.
“I think we’re most excited about the bat right now,” Green said. “If he ends up getting over to first base as time goes on, that’’ll be great as well. His bat is where a lot of the value is for us at this moment.”
The Mets have rotated 14 different players in the DH spot, combining for 15 homers that rank 13th in the majors and a .742 OPS that sits at 14th. Their 36 RBIs rank 25th overall. Inserting Polanco back into the lineup isn’t going to unseat any meaningful names, but it’s unclear what the Mets are even looking for from him. With this season approaching the seller stage, Polanco’s lingering Achilles situation — and how it will need to be addressed this winter — already casts doubt on what his impact could be for the remainder of his contract, which runs through 2027.
Polanco was supposed to be a difference-maker for a contending Mets team this season. But now that the clock has expired on that plan, what’s left?
David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.
