Apart from their low-key season, 2025 also hinted at the rift in the Mets clubhouse, especially after Juan Soto‘s dig at Francisco Lindor‘s captaincy buzz. Although no one confirmed their deteriorating equation, fans were convinced that not everyone in the Mets clubhouse was on the same page. However, the Mets’ historic slump in 2026 might be forcing the clubhouse to come as one.

The Mets are currently standing with a 10-20 record in the NL East, and Francisco Lindor’s absence just made that worse. The team’s average plummeted to 28th position, which even made Soto admit how Lindor’s injury is affecting the team.

“I think it’s really tough seeing a player like that, a true superstar like Francisco, who impacts the game both offensively and defensively. He’s exactly the kind of talent any team would love to have in their lineup every single day. It’s unfortunate what happened to him, but we’re all hoping and praying for a full and speedy recovery. We’ll be right here waiting for him,” MasterFlip quoted Juan Soto.

Lindor was struggling at the batter’s box since the opening game this year. Before getting sidelined, he was batting .226 and could manage only 2 homers. He even made a few defense errors like the one against the Athletics, where instead of breaking toward second base to start an easy double play, he misread the play and moved to his right, failing to cover second.

Still, the impact was real after Lindor entered the 10-day IL due to calf strain. His leadership and baserunning during a high-pressure moment are missing from the Mets currently. And the slugger who batted .267 and scored 31 HRs last year would have been the best to manage the clutch moments. And for those who believed that Soto could fill Lindor’s absence, the game against the Nationals on Wednesday proved them wrong.

Against the Nationals’ 14 runs, the Mets faltered and added just 2 runs. This includes Juan Soto’s solo homer and 3 hits. Other than Bo Bichette, who added another run, no one else could contribute anything. Ronny Mauricio, who replaced Lindor, could score nothing from his 4 at-bats.

So, when the entire lineup falters, Soto, despite hitting .327, can’t lift the team alone. A veteran like Lindor would have been required here. Soto knows it, and he admitted despite the rift rumors.

Last year, when Lindor was rumored to take over the Mets captaincy, Soto came up with his view. “[Starling Marte is] literally the leader of this team, I feel like he’s actually the captain of this team.” It was viewed as a subtle dig at Lindor. Although during the 2026 spring, Soto put all rumors to rest, saying, “I think it’s a great relationship. We talk all the time in the game and everything, and we help each other,” fans were not sure.

Now that Soto comes up and acknowledges how the Mets are missing Lindor, their rift rumors might take a backseat from here. However, the team’s struggle is showing no sign of improvement.

The Mets’ woes are taking a wrong turn

Initially, it was thought that the Mets could perform better once Soto came back from his injury. He came back, but nothing improved. Rather, Soto is yet to take over his outfield duties. Reportedly, his forearm injury is yet to be fully recovered. As per MLB insider Jorge Castillo, there’s no timeline set for his return to the outfield.

So, Soto would continue to serve as DH for now. Still, Soto as DH couldn’t improve the Mets’ offensive numbers.

“Mets offensive ranks through 28 games: Runs: 30th, Runs/game: 30th, Home runs: 28th, AVG: 27th, OBP: 30th, SLG: 30th, wOBA: 30th, wRC+: 30th, OPS: 30th, OPS+: 30th,” MLB.com’s  Anthony DiComo shared.

Their offensive struggle was evident on Wednesday when, other than Bichette and Soto, no one could score any runs despite the Nationals scoring 14. “We have to be better,” Carlos Mendoza said. “It’s been a long period of time where we’re not playing well; we have to fix it.”

We are skeptical when the Mets can fix their problems, but for now, things are going out of control. Wednesday’s game also showed how their defense was faltering. David Peterson started the game but could only survive 3.2 innings. He allowed 7 runs, followed by Sean Manaea, who gave up another 6 runs. So, while Soto admits Lindor’s absence is hurting the team, the problem lies deeper and might not get resolved even with Lindor’s presence.