Ahead of the 2026 season, David Stearns signed multiple MLB stars to fill the void veteran players left. However, the New York Mets have been missing one such key replacement for the better part of their season due to injury. As the $40 million first-year Met was finally on the track to return, a recurring injury has derailed his plans. Manager Carlos Mendoza confirmed the same on Saturday.

“He felt some discomfort while he was going through his running progression before the game. He kind of got shut down there,” revealed Mendoza about Jorge Polanco, per SNY Mets.

Under a two-year, $40 million deal, the Mets signed Polanco to replace Pete Alonso on first base. But Polanco made only 14 appearances for the Mets before a right wrist contusion and a left Achilles bursitis sidelined him on April 18. Meanwhile, Mark Vientos and Jared Young have picked up the slack.

Mendoza had also confirmed the issue Polanco felt before the game was related to the Achilles injury he had suffered earlier in the season.

Polanco, who was hitting .179 for the Mets before landing on the IL, began his rehab on May 27. He also made six rehab appearances across two minor league levels (Double-A and Triple-A). Polanco’s progression indicated that he would be ready for his big league return soon.

While speculation about Polanco returning during the San Diego Padres series floated, Mendoza had denied the possibility on Friday.

“We felt like we needed to continue to build him up,” Mendoza reportedly said. “Four at-bats as a DH, seven innings on defense, at least. We won’t see him here in San Diego.”

However, those plans hit a roadblock when he experienced ankle soreness on Saturday. He was scheduled for a rehab game with the Triple-A Syracuse. Polanco will now be heading to New York for further evaluation.

MRI results showed Polanco is suffering from swelling around his Achilles. There is no tear to the tendon. However, according to Mendoza, if Polanco were to return to the Mets lineup, he would have to learn to tolerate the pain.

“I think it’s getting to a point where—he’s going to feel it, right? But just keeping it to a point of ‘I can tolerate this’ because if not, he’s going to get shut down for a long period of time,” Mendoza had said in May, per SNY.

Last year, former Mets pitcher Griffin Canning ruptured his  Achilles on a non-contact play and was on his way to pitch, but walked off the mound. He had to undergo surgery and was ultimately sidelined for the rest of the season.

The Mets definitely would not want a repeat of the same this time around, especially with many key pieces of their starting lineup on the IL. Francisco Lindor, Francisco Alvarez, and Luis Robert Jr are all out of the lineup. While Robert Jr. does not have a return date yet, Lindor has started baseball activities, and Alvarez is already on rehab.

Meanwhile, manager Mendoza has not yet cleared Kodai Senga for a major league return, despite completing his build-up.

Carlos Mendoza wants to see more from Kodai Senga

The Mets had placed Kodai Senga on the 15-day IL with lumbar spine inflammation on April 27. Recovering from the issue, Senga has sufficiently built up to return to the Mets. But manager Mendoza is not yet convinced.

With Senga giving up 8 runs on 14 hits in 3 starts, Mendoza wants the pitcher to fix his inconsistencies at Triple-A first.

“I watched the last couple of outings, some inconsistency with strike throwing,” Mendoza said, per SNYtv. “Physically, he feels fine, which is good, but obviously, we need to see some results here now.”

Senga has a 2.40 K/BB ratio while pitching in the minors, with 12 strikeouts this season. Mendoza wants the right-hander to throw more strikes. The Mets skipper will probably keep Senga in Triple-A till he excels there.

“He’s gotta be able to compete in the strike zone,” Mendoza reportedly stated. “I’ve been saying it with a lot of our guys. I think it’s just him attacking and dominating Triple-A lineups.”

Before his IL trip, Senga was struggling badly, pitching for the Mets. He did not record any wins, and his ERA had spiked up to 9.00 in only five starts.