Who says major news always needs to come with fireworks? Sometimes, it gets out because of a mistake in the digital world— that’s what happened when MLB let Queens’ secret out early, thanks to a little oops moment. And, spoiler alert! It involves the Mets’ shortstop Francisco Lindor, and fans are just happy with the surprise.

The Mets will retire David Wright’s No. 5 right before their game with the Reds on Saturday. He will also be added to the team’s Hall of Fame. But in a dramatic turn of events, all eyes turned when a brief glimpse was caught on MLB’s removed video. And fans saw a glimpse of Francisco Lindor in that video besides the other captains. Yes, you did read that right.

On Wednesday, MLB put up a video, which was then taken down within minutes. The polished minute-long video showed the history of Mets leaders, starting with David Wright and Keith Hernandez and ending with Gary Carter and John Franco. At the halfway point, the focus turned to one person: Francisco Lindor. And that’s not it. MLB also wrote a good caption: “From captains David Wright and Keith Hernandez to potential captain Francisco Lindor, check out some of the best leaders in Mets history.” It disappeared almost as quickly as it showed up, but not before it sparked rumors in baseball and beyond. But @nym_news saved it and reposted it.

The timings of both incidents couldn’t be more perfect for the Mets, and the groundwork has been laid down for a long time.

Francisco Lindor has hinted at this opportunity before, too. On the June 17 episode of The Show: A NY Post Baseball Podcast with Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman. He was asked explicitly how much it would mean to him if the Mets made him captain. His response showed more humility than expected from a star athlete. “Yeah, I mean, that’s something that’s gonna have to come from internally … if it does happen, it would be an honor … something that I wouldn’t take for granted … extremely special. It’s something I could tell my kids and my grandkids one day.” Lindor understands that the ‘C’ comes with history and carries weight.

Even when the Mets were struggling in June, he was the one who took charge. He shared about the meeting with players with the New York Post, “We are competing still. We are one game out of first place… This is not like a magic thing… It’s just part of the adversity we are dealing with. It’s good to look each other in the eye and understand that we are going through it at the same time.” Now that’s a captain’s mindset.

And not only his leadership quality, but he is also doing great on the plate, especially with his latest milestone in stolen bases!

Mr. Smile reaches 200 steals, continues Mets’ All‑Star run

On July 13, Francisco Lindor stole his 200th base in a Mets game in Kansas City. He reached the milestone with a clean rush off a single, which had the crowd cheer as he slipped safely into second. He is now one of only nine active players to reach this level at the age of 31, along with Ronald Acuña Jr. and Mike Trout.

Francisco Lindor has already stolen 15 bases this season, which is a good start toward breaking last year’s record of 29. What makes the performance even more astounding is how well it fits into his overall game in 2025. He has an average of .260, an OPS of .787, 19 homers (the most among shortstops), and 54 RBIs (also top five by position).

Lindor has been a model of consistency and performance throughout his time with the Mets. And his four Silver Sluggers and two Gold Gloves show that he can do more than one thing well.

He was also chosen to play in the 2025 All-Star Game, his fifth time doing so. Lindor is still making a name for himself in Queens with this mix of speed, power, and smarts. With every stolen base, he’s changing what it means to be a successful modern shortstop.

Can he do the same when he is named officially the Captain?