Nick Madrigal dislocated his left shoulder during today’s Spring Training split-squad game between the Mets and Nationals. In the first inning of the game, Madrigal (who was playing shortstop) had to awkwardly adjust his body to gather a deflected ground ball, and suffered the injury after falling to the ground on the throw to first base.
The seriousness of the dislocation isn’t yet known, as Mets manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters (including SNY’s Andy Martino) that Madrigal will need to undergo an MRI to determine the extent of the damage. The veteran infielder will surely miss some time recovering, and a more severe dislocation could even require surgery and an early end to Madrigal’s 2025 season.
The Cubs opted to non-tender Madrigal last fall rather than pay him a projected arbitration salary of $1.9MM, and Madrigal then caught on with the Mets on a split contract. He can earn $1.35MM if he remains on New York’s active roster, though the split nature of the deal allows the Mets to move Madrigal to Triple-A for more roster flexibility, as he has a minor league option remaining.
Between Francisco Lindor, Mark Vientos, Jeff McNeil, and now the re-signed Pete Alonso, the Mets’ everyday infield is pretty set, leaving Madrigal as the most experienced member of a set of players battling for backup jobs. Martino writes that at this point, the Mets are likely to just stick with their younger infielders rather than pursue another veteran (such as fan favorite Jose Iglesias) if Madrigal does have to miss an extended amount of time. This leaves the door open for at least one of Brett Baty, Luisangel Acuna, or Ronny Mauricio to be part of the Opening Day roster, plus Donovan Walton and Luis De Los Santos are also in camp on minor league deals.
Madrigal is a defensive specialist whose offense has cratered over the last three seasons, and past injuries could likely have contributed to this offensive decline. Madrigal separated his left shoulder during the 2020 season, which led to offseason surgery. His 2021 and 2024 seasons were both prematurely ended by injuries — a hamstring surgery and a left hand fracture, respectively. In between, Madrigal also missed significant time during the 2022 and 2023 seasons with hamstring and groin issues.
Donovan Walton is probably going to get the backup role if either of the kids don’t really shine this spring and he has a good spring.
I think the fans prefer O.M.G. Iglesias
Stearns is stubborn. I think Cohen will not get involved there.
Didn’t even make out of Spring Training. Nicky two strikes? Nicky IL.
Cohen dictates the big transactions. He didn’t ask Stearns about Soto, he simply said I’m going to get him no matter what the price. He then tasks Stearns with filling out the rest of the roster more cheaply.
The Iglesias stuff was fun and good last year, but he’s of a certain age and wanted a multi-year deal and the Mets probably kept away to maintain flexibility and not tie up a roster spot all season on him in case he regresses.
Not sure where ‘probably’ comes from. What makes Walton any more probable than Luis de Los Santos?
Or Acuna
Possibly. But Acuna will have to win the job decisively, IMO, as he still has a lot to prove at the triple-A level after the bad season he had there last year. The Mets might prefer to have him play every day there and work on some things rather than sit on the bench and pinch run up here. Especially considering the number of off days they have those first two weeks.
Acuna could you use more reps in Syracuse unless he shines in Florida
Walton is a better middle infielder then de Los santos. Look it up.
Mets preferex someone with roster flexibility over Iglesias previoysly but maybe this opens the door.
Dude is going to be coaching by the time he turns 30. Can’t stay healthy or productive…
Hard to be productive when your always injured
Looks that way for the former #4 overall pick.
The answer is and has been Acuna
Let’s not overstate it. The answer might be Acuna. He certainly plays major league caliber defense. But no one knows if he can hit yet. Good or bad, 40 PAs dos not prove anything. Especially in light of his decidedly sub-par AAA season.
That said, the answer is any and all of them. In most cases, a kid with this little experience winds up stumbling and going back down.
This is the same shoulder he separated and had surgery on a few years ago. Doesn’t look good.
It’s quite a stretch to say that Madrigal is a “defensive specialist.” He’s a one tool player, if that.
remember when nick madrigal thought he was going to get 3000 hits?
Pepperidge Farms remembers…
When I hear that the Mets are still going with McNeil Nimmo Marte Siri and still have the likes of Taylor & Megill on the team, I wonder why they bothered signing Soto. How long will prospects like Acuna Jett Gilbert Mauricio Sproat & Tidwell not be playing for this team while those tired old zeros are still there?
Relax. Spring training decisions are not permanent, and Stearns has shown that he has no problem cutting a player if he fails to perform and bringing someone else up or in. For now, none of the players you’ve mentioned has shown to be major league ready, and all but Mauricio, who is still not back to 100% health, have not even shown anything at the AAA level yet.
Two months from now, all of that may have changed. Maybe even two weeks. But for now, none of them has earned a big league roster spot.
Nick Madrigal is a defensive standout whose elite glove remains a valuable asset at the major league level, showcasing his skill and resilience despite past injuries.
Easy to see why the Cubs non-tendered Madrigal … now they may have the biggest LOL of the weekend.
Sign Iglesias and be done with it.
I feel sadrigal for Nick Madrigal:(
Time to sign OMG