Francisco Lindor feels good about his official spring training debut: he's just like his usual self.

In today's spring training warm-up, Francisco Lindor made a diving catch to the left, attempting to stop Jesús Sánchez's single. Later in the game, he drove a foul ball down the right-field line, estimated at 391 feet, which would have been a home run if fair. On the next pitch, Lindor hit a 105 mph ball for a deep single to right field.

With every swing, he could feel something unusual in his left wrist. Just 32 days ago, surgeons removed his hamate bone from that area. This sensation isn't necessarily bad, just different. Doctors told Lindor he might continue to feel it for up to eight weeks after surgery. Some peers also warned him that this feeling could last a year or two, or even throughout his career.

"There will definitely be moments, yes, absolutely," Lindor said. "The trainers said from day one that I would feel something. A bone was taken out, there are many nerves and soft tissues. So yes, sometimes I will feel it."

Lindor added that Sunday was "generally a good day overall." With 11 days left until Opening Day, he completed his Grapefruit League spring training warm-up debut, once again proving he is ready. Although Lindor did not explicitly guarantee he would play shortstop on March 26 against the Pittsburgh Pirates, he stated he had "completed all the necessary preparations."

Baseball operations president David Stearns had stated that the "precondition" for Lindor's timely return was participating in a Grapefruit League game. The shortstop finally achieved this today in a game against the Toronto Blue Jays, playing four innings and contributing one hit in three at-bats in the Mets' 8-1 rain-shortened win. For Lindor, it was a busy few hours: he batted three times and handled multiple balls hit toward him.

"We just let him play freely," manager Carlos Mendoza said. "No hesitation at all. Watching his pre-game preparations over the past few days, seeing him train on the auxiliary fields, yes, I think he looked like Francisco Lindor."

Mendoza added that if the Mets believed Lindor had any issue preventing full performance, they would not have placed him in the starting lineup. This doesn't mean Lindor is ready to play without discomfort, but it does mean he won't risk his surgically repaired left hand. Their hope is that this also means Lindor can hit as usual, even though hamate bone surgery sometimes comes with a loss of power.

Although Lindor needs more games to prove he has returned to normal, Sunday was an important start.

"It was a really great experience," Lindor said. "I felt just like my usual self, and I was healthy after the game. Overall, today was a good day for me."

Lindor underwent surgery on February 11 after experiencing persistent pain in his hand and wrist at the start of spring training. The surgery had an expected recovery period of six weeks,刚好让他赶上开幕日. Since then, he has steadily progressed, starting with defensive drills and recently adding full batting practice. Before his Grapefruit League debut, Lindor played in three minor league spring training games.

"I saw it immediately when he was batting a few days ago—he looked normal," Mendoza said. "No hesitation. He swung like usual. I'm sure he will feel something—he knows that himself... In terms of power and those aspects, he is in good shape."

The 32-year-old Lindor has missed only 15 games since 2022 despite minor injuries. Last year, he hit 31 home runs and stole 31 bases, achieving his second 30-30 season in the past three years.

Next, Lindor plans to play on Wednesday and Friday, then assess. By next weekend, he should be ready to play consecutive games or even three days straight.理论上, this will prepare Lindor to face Paul Skenes and the Pirates on March 26, with sufficient rest days in between.

During this process, he will continue to feel some unusual sensations, which is part of the recovery.

"They said the recovery process isn't linear," Lindor said. "There will be ups and downs, and I'm in that phase now. Today was a good day. Hopefully tomorrow I come back feeling better, and then keep moving forward."