Francisco Lindor didn’t get much sleep Friday night.
His second daughter, Amapola Chloé, was born at 5:30 a.m. Saturday. He finally fell asleep around 8:30, but his oldest daughter, Kalina Zoé, woke him about two hours later asking about her little sister.
Lindor still wanted to start Saturday against the Cardinals, but Mets manager Buck Showalter said that wasn’t a good idea.
His star shortstop needed sleep.
Lindor took a nap after he arrived at the clubhouse, though, and he pinch-hit in the ninth inning of the Mets’ 5-3 loss — getting hit by a pitch in his lone at-bat.
“When my baby girl was born at 5:30 in the morning, I knew that I had a chance of being in the lineup,” Lindor said postgame. “I wanted to be here, but I told Buck, ‘Whatever you think is best for the team.’ ”
It was the first time since June 2, 2022, that the Mets didn’t have Lindor in their opening lineup. Luis Guillorme started instead.
Showalter appreciated Lindor wanted to give it a shot to play
“I don’t think he’s particularly happy about not playing today,” Showalter said before the game. “He was willing to come in and give it a shot.”
That’s exactly what Lindor did.
But first, he spent time with his family, witnessing the exchanges of Kalina asking for Lindor’s wife, Katia, to “share” Amapola — a name that Lindor called “very poetic” and unique, and which stems from his favorite flower, the poppy.
“It was such a beautiful journey,” Lindor said after the game. “It’s one of the coolest processes in the world. Hats off to all the moms out there. It’s incredible what they do.
“It’s the best,” Lindor said when asked about being a “girl dad.” “They’re the future. Female is future.”
Lindor had been a constant in the Mets’ lineup this season for their first 69 games, but the shortstop, in the second year of a 10-year, $341 million contract extension signed in 2021, has struggled.
His average dipped to .211 after he went 0-for-3 with an RBI and two strikeouts Friday night.
He has just one multi-hit game since May 26, 11 for the season and a strikeout rate of nearly one per game, at 68, that’s on pace to shatter his numbers from past seasons.
“When you’re in his position, you’re gonna be constantly critiqued,” Showalter said. “He wants to play. He wants to set an example everyday. He wants to be there for his teammates.”
Showalter said he doesn’t expect Lindor to end up on the paternity list, and he reiterated after the game that he anticipated the shortstop returning to the lineup Sunday in the series finale, barring any complications.
“Obviously, his priorities are where they should be,” Showalter said. “He’ll go home. Appreciate him coming in, and he may have come in here to get a little better shot at sleep — I don’t know.
“It’s gonna be up to him, where he feels comfortable and she feels comfortable. They got a lot of help at home, but still being there, that’s a priority. Right now, I’m planning on him being back, but we’re gonna be prepared to go a different direction.”