Michael Conforto had been looking forward to this moment since he signed with the San Francisco Giants. Coming back to Citi Field was something he felt he needed to do to seek closure from his chapter in Flushing.
But this isn’t how he imagined it. A hamstring injury will probably keep him from getting on the field this weekend.
“I don’t know if I’m going to be able to step in the box,” the San Francisco Giants outfielder said Friday before his new team faced his old one. “It’s super disappointing. But we’ll see what happens in the next couple of days.
Conforto spent eight seasons with the Mets organization and became an All-Star with the team in 2017. He played in a World Series as a rookie and his summer call-up helped key the Mets’ run to the NL pennant. He was part of the Mets’ rise and part of its fall, experiencing his own career rise and fall in New York as well, with left shoulder surgery, free agency and right shoulder surgery after he departed New York.
Conforto spent Friday morning driving around Queens and visiting familiar landmarks and familiar people. Even the customs agent at LaGuardia Airport recognized him.
“It’s a lot of New York stuff that only happens out here,” Conforto said. “There are so many baseball diehards and it’s just kind of a cool thing coming back here.”
The drive through Elmhurst wasn’t just to revel in New York nostalgia. After feeling his hamstring twinge in Toronto earlier this week, the Giants sent Conforto to Hospital for Special Surgery for further imaging, which revealed a fascia strain in his left hamstring. It’s disappointing considering the timing and considering how hard he has worked to get back on the field.
“That’s why I took the ride through my old neighborhood, I used to live right across from HSS,” Conforto said. “A lot of people at HSS know me and recognized me. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not. I wasn’t necessarily happy to be there but I was happy to see those people. It’s kind of funny, it feels like just yesterday I was taking that ride to the ballpark. It’s been a couple years, but it feels like it was just yesterday.”
For as meaningful as the New York chapter was to the 30-year-old outfielder, being back in the place where his pro career started was more overwhelming than he imagined.
The Mets and Conforto were unable to strike a deal on a long-term contract before the end of the 2021 season. It was something that once seemed unthinkable, given how important Conforto was to the Mets early in his career. The club let him go in free agency after he turned down an $18.4 million qualifying offer. Conforto, who was coming off of a career-worst season, was then injured while training during the lockout and was forced to undergo surgery on his right shoulder. It cost him the 2022 season.
He signed a two-year contract with the Giants in January. It was around the time Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil signed long-term contracts with the Mets. The trio came up through the minor leagues together and along with Pete Alonso, formed a homegrown core that fans thought would win a World Series.
There was a time when he imagined playing with those three for the rest of his career. Conforto thought he would be a Met for life, like Nimmo and McNeil.
“I can tell you that when I was here, I thought I would always be here,” he said. “Things start to change as your career goes on. When I look back, I don’t look back with any regret. That’s kind of crazy to say but I don’t think it’s a positive thing to look back and say that you think a different way. I made great decisions with the information I had.
“To be honest, I’m very happy with where I am now.”
It’s a surreal experience for Conforto, though a tough one considering he’s not expected to get on the field. He plans to test the hamstring to see if there’s a chance he can get an at-bat later in the three-game series.
Closure won’t come on the field. Instead, he’ll look to the fans to provide it for him.
“As far as closure, it’s once I see the place filled up with fans,” he said.
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