Francisco Lindor, Eduardo Escobar pay Yoan Lopez's fine
Francisco Lindor #12 of the New York Mets fields a ground ball against the St. Louis Cardinals in the third inning at Busch Stadium on April 27, 2022 in St Louis, Missouri. Credit: Getty Images/Dilip Vishwanat
Francisco Lindor and Eduardo Escobar picked up Yoan Lopez’s tab this week, paying the fine he was handed by MLB after the Mets-Cardinals benches-clearing episode on Wednesday.
“We had to take care of it,” Lindor said. “That’s it. He didn’t do it intentionally. And he’s not making as much money as we are. It’s our duty.”
Lopez, making his team debut, wound up in the middle of the Mets’ weekslong frustration stemming from getting hit by pitches when his first pitch was up and in on Nolan Arenado. That made Arenado unhappy. He charged the mound and the dugouts emptied.
In the fallout of the incident, MLB suspended Arenado for one game — cut in half from the original two games upon appeal — and fined Lopez, among other punishments for individuals involved.
Lopez, 29, is a pre-arbitration player, so he is making not much more than the major-league minimum of $700,000 — and that is pro-rated based on how much time he spends in the majors. He was with the team for six days before being sent to Triple-A Syracuse to make room for Taijuan Walker, who started Saturday against the Phillies in his return from the injured list.
Lindor is making $32 million this year, Escobar $10 million. The two veterans — both regarded in the clubhouse as among the Mets’ most prominent leaders — decided to take care of the fine on Lopez’s behalf.
The maximum a player can be fined by MLB is $10,000, Lindor said.
Johan chimes in
On vacation in Spain, Johan Santana woke up Saturday to the news of the Mets’ combined no-hitter against the Phillies. It was the second in franchise history, after his on June 1, 2012, against the Cardinals.
“Because so many pitchers were involved it’s a great thing for team building,” he said in remarks relayed by the Mets. “It sure looked like it was special for the fans . . . I’m so happy I have company. The Mets feel like they are having a special season.”
Santana will be at Citi Field on May 31, when the Mets celebrate the 10-year anniversary of his feat.
Reid-Foley exits
Sean Reid-Foley exited in the eighth because of right elbow discomfort. He’ll get an MRI on Sunday. His job will be in jeopardy when rosters shrink from 28 to 26 Monday, but Reid-Foley would be safe if he is on the injured list.
“Hoping positively,” he said of the pending medical tests. “We’ll just go from there and move on. Obviously, I want to stay here. This team is unreal. So much fun to play with. It just [stinks]. It’s like one thing after another, especially after last year’s bone spur. It’s just frustrating. I worked so hard to get back.”
Davis OK
Showalter reiterated that J.D. Davis, hit in the left foot by a pitch Wednesday, was good to go and available off the bench.
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
