Jorge Polanco’s brutal first season with the Mets has officially crashed and burned, with interim manager Andy Green confirming the former Mariner will undergo season-ending ankle surgery. Placed on the 10-day IL just this week for left ankle bursitis, it quickly became clear his stay would be far longer, bringing a tragic end to what was supposed to be a fresh start in New York.
What a Mets Mess
Man, talk about a fall from grace. Polanco signed a two-year, $40 million deal with the Mets, fresh off a rebound year with our Mariners in 2025. But his Mets debut? Absolute nightmare fuel. He played just 14 games before a wrist contusion sidelined him for 83 days, crushing his momentum before it even started. Before that IL stint, he was batting a painful .179/.246/.286. When he finally got back on July 7, it actually got worse. From July 7 onward, the 33-year-old put up a paltry .127/.169/.190, with just one home run and three total extra-base hits across 23 games. His -1.4 WAR from both Baseball Reference and FanGraphs sums it up: a DH who can’t hit just isn’t gonna cut it. Green was blunt: “It’s gotten to the point where he just can’t get freedom from the pain. He has gone out there and grinded. He’s wanted to post for his team. And it’s at a point now where surgery is actually his best option.” You gotta feel for the dude, trying to grind it out like that.
A Different Story for the Green and Blue
It’s tough to see Polanco go through this, especially when you remember what he did for us. Back in 2025, he was on fire with the Mariners, rocking a .265/.326/.495 slash line with a massive 26 home runs. That was his second-most homers in a season, and he did it right here in T-Mobile Park, which is notoriously stingy for right-handed power hitters like him. He had an Achilles bursitis problem in April that limited him to DH for the most part, but it didn’t slow him down like this. Green observed that the myriad injuries clearly messed with his mechanics, saying, “Just my observation from seeing him through the years and watching him hit and watching him produce, I do think it has affected him mechanically.” It’s a stark contrast to the player we saw, the one who fought through injuries to put up serious numbers in the Emerald City. The Mets are calling up Christopher Morel from Triple-A Syracuse, and Eric Wagaman got his roster spot, while Polanco is stuck with $23 million still owed to him next season.
Polanco is expected back for 2027 spring training, but man, what a brutal end to his Mets debut. It’s a reminder of how quickly things can turn in this league. For us in the Emerald City, it’s a bittersweet moment, looking back at what Polanco brought to T-Mobile Park and knowing we saw a truly special season from him that the Mets could only dream of.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
Leave a Reply