Francisco Lindor Bats Leadoff in Mets Lineup Shuffle

The Mets are shaking up their lineup.

Presumably, in an attempt to generate more offense, Carlos Mendoza has inked Francisco Lindor as the leadoff hitter on Saturday against Braxton Garrett. Brandon Nimmo is slated to hit third.

Lindor has struggled so far in 2024, but has Garrett’s number. In fourteen at-bats against the lefty, Lindor is 5-for-14 with three homers and one double. Meanwhile, Brandon Nimmo has been the Mets best hitter this season, and is slashing .233/.365/.512 with three homers in May.

Photo by Roberto Carlo

While getting Lindor going is important for the Mets, the decision to bat him leadoff is intriguing. The switch hitter has a .268 on-base percentage, which is the third worst on the team ahead of Omar Narváez and Tomás Nido. Still, Lindor is a dynamic bat when right.

Meanwhile, Nimmo could provide the Mets with more scoring opportunities batting third. He has been one of the more consistent bats this season and could see more pitches with J.D. Martinez behind him. Nimmo has batted third in only 22 games in his career, where he owns a .183/.319/.383 slashline.

Meanwhile, newly promoted Met Mark Vientos is back in the lineup. He’ll bat behind Martinez and look to provide the Mets with an answer against another Marlins lefty. Vientos went 0-for-3 on Friday against Jesús Luzardo but will get another chance against Garrett. Vientos is 0-for-4 lifetime against Garrett.

The Mets offense has struggled throughout the season but looks to turn things around facing Garrett. The lefty is 0-2 lifetime against the Mets with a 3.90 ERA. His last start against the Mets was Sept. 27, where he allowed four earned runs in four innings.

In Garrett’s last start against the Mets, Lindor went 2-for-4 with a homer. Nimmo also went 2-for-4 with two RBI from the leadoff position. In Saturday’s start, the two batters will flip positions in the lineup.

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