Relieved Mariners fans observing injured Jorge Polanco scuffling with Mets
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Relieved Mariners fans observing injured Jorge Polanco scuffling with Mets originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Seattle Mariners fans are starting to accept losing Jorge Polanco to the New York Mets.
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The converted first baseman suffered a setback Thursday in his recovery from left Achilles tendinitis and did not start Friday against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park.
Polanco, who is batting .174 with no home runs and one RBI, remained listed as day-to-day.
The Mets’ experiment to make Polanco their first baseman is off to a stumbling start. Much to the relief of Mariners' faithful.
Jorge Polanco suffers tough first week with Mets
Polanco’s Achilles tendinitis flared up during the Mets’ second game of the season, a 4-2, 11th-inning win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on March 28. He attempted to play through the injury as a designated hitter, but needed to be shut down.
A vital cog of the Mariners’ offense last season, Polanco slugged 26 home runs for the 2025 AL West champions. Last November, he declined a $6 million player option and elected free agency.
The Mets needed a first baseman and gambled on Polanco moving over from second base. During spring training, reports surfaced that some Mets officials said Polanco would become a better fielder than Pete Alonso.
Despite putting in extra work at first base last offseason, Polanco appeared out of synch in his two starts, posting a minus-11 in total fielding runs above average.
The Mets' boasting that Polanco would fare better at first than Alonso isn’t saying much, considering his career fielding run value was minus-29, according to BaseballSavant.com.
Considering his nagging injuries and sagging performance, Mariners fans are likely feeling better about losing Polanco.