Jorge Polanco's Setback Robs Mets of Possible Offensive Spark

The New York Mets opened their season on March 25. Just five days later, it was reported for the first time that Jorge Polanco, their offseason signing to play first base most days, was dealing with a ‘minor’ Achilles issue.

He was on and off the lineup, and on April 9, manager Carlos Mendoza said Polanco might require a trip to the injured list. On April 17, news broke that the infielder and Silver Slugger Award finalist last year with the Seattle Mariners was also dealing with a right wrist injury, an ailment that ended up sending him to the injured list a day later. He played his most recent MLB game for the Mets on April 14.

Polanco has suffered a setback on his road to recovery, re-aggravating his ankle. It's unknown when he'll return to the Mets at this point in time, but his continued absence is a frustrating development. The timeline of his first symptoms and placement on the injured list was important for us to explain because they give us a better idea about the reasons behind the player’s rough start to his Mets’ tenure.

It's Impossible to Separate the Injuries from Jorge Polanco's Performance

Polanco hit .179/.246/.286 with one home run in 14 games and 61 plate appearances. His 53 wRC+ is way worse than the 132 mark he had last year in Seattle. It’s hard to get going with two annoying injuries nagging all the time, though, and also while learning a new position.

Still, big things are expected from Polanco, especially since he set the bar so high last year. If he’s truly healthy, he still has time to turn his season around and start producing like the Mets and fans would want him to.

That’s the first and most important thing on his priority list: get fully, 100 percent healthy. Once he has done that, we can start focusing on what he needs to do to actually improve on that awful stat line.

As you can expect from a player who has experienced such a big drop-off in performance, Polanco’s numbers against every type of pitch have gotten worse. His struggles against fastballs, however, are stunning.

Fastballs Were Killing Jorge Polanco

He hit .277 with a .542 slugging percentage and a .372 xwOBA vs. fastballs last year, but this season, he is at .083 with a .083 slugging percentage and a .249 xwOBA. He has been much better against breaking balls (.284) and off-speed pitches (.288) without being particularly good at any of them, and keep in mind that the sample available is tiny. However, heaters have killed him.

The origins of his struggles against fastballs this year might actually be tied to his Achilles injury. The legs are the foundation of a batter’s swing, and Polanco’s Achilles has been compromised virtually all year. Once he's closer to full health, expect him to pick it up against the most frequently thrown pitch in the league.

Polanco was actually hitting lots of line drives (31.1 percent) and pulling the ball in the air at a high rate, so the ingredients for a rebound are there as long as he can improve his timing against fastballs.

We shouldn't expect an immediate return to his 2025 form upon returning. That level of offensive excellence takes time, and Polanco hasn’t really had a chance to get into a groove. His latest setback may prevent that from ever happening, but with some luck, he can still make a positive impact on the Mets in 2026.