Under The Knife 9/23/24
House of Parm
A couple days on the shores of Port Dalhousie, Ontario and a couple nights at Rizzo’s House of Parm, where the chicken parm was worth the drive and the service was even better. It really helped prep me for the playoff run, so let’s get to it:
JUAN SOTO, OF NYY (knee bruise)
With a six game lead, it’s no surprise the Yankees got a bit conservative with Juan Soto, even if his knee bruise was a simple knee bruise. He didn’t even miss a game, though he didn’t start on Friday due to some lingering soreness. By Saturday, it was fine and he showed no ill effects. I’m a bit surprised there wasn’t more, but Aaron Boone seems very attuned to the noise of the fan base and even one day off led to a lot of noise indeed.
Soto’s knee shouldn’t be an issue, though the Yankees may want to start checking parks for hidden concrete outposts given this and Aaron Judge’s foot injury. Watching Sunday, Soto showed no signs of discomfort and didn’t appear to be wearing any padding, though he could have had a small sleeve under his uniform. Expect him to play normally going forward.
The more interesting take on this is that Soto is pushing to play every day and that Boone can’t hold him back. I don’t buy this, but with lots of speculation about how the Yankees might do more than just back up the money truck to keep Soto, it’s interesting that “winning a ring” isn’t the key enticement. If Soto does win one this season with the Yanks, does he stay to run it back or move on to give himself a bigger stack along with the chance to win? One thing to keep an eye on is Ted Leonsis’ latest bid for the Nationals. Bringing Soto full circle would be an interesting way to build that franchise back.
FRANCISCO LINDOR, SS NYM (inflamed back)
Reader Ben T. summed things up when he said “Mets fans have a lot of trauma from David Wright.” Wright’s situation is informing a lot of the feelings about Francisco Lindor, but I’m facts > feelings here. We’ve learned some things about how Lindor is being managed, but the key is that the Mets are treating symptoms rather than the cause. The context of the team’s position and the calendar inform this strongly, though there’s surely some long term focus as well.
Lindor had a facet injection, which should help the pain, but there’s still the question of why there’s pain and where it’s coming from. Lindor seems to be moving relatively well in the dugout. He’s able to jump, to sit and stand, but athletic movements are a bit of a mystery. Can he twist? That’s the one movement I haven’t seen (and admittedly, I’m just seeing clips) and one that’s key to his function.
My guess is that Lindor will have something more involved after the season and this management is just that, a “get him through the next few weeks” thing. The worst case here is something similar to Christian Yelich, who missed much of the season after a microdiscectomy but is expected to be back and normal for next season. If that’s what Lindor has, he should still have time to be done with rehab by spring training. It could be a lesser procedure, or more intensive therapy. There are plenty of players that have had back issues and gone on to play normally for years, so even the worst case isn’t too bad for Lindor.