Mets Halt Jorge Polanco’s Rehab Assignment Amid Ankle Soreness

The New York Mets have paused Jorge Polanco’s rehab assignment due to ankle soreness, according to a recent team announcement. Polanco, who has been on the injured list since mid-April with a right wrist contusion, was progressing in his return through rehab stops at Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Syracuse. However, the ankle issue has raised new concerns for the second baseman, who signed a two-year, $40 million contract with the Mets in December.

Polanco’s struggles have defined his debut season in New York. He played just 14 games before landing on the IL, hitting a dismal .179/.246/.286 with a 53 wRC+ and was limited by left Achilles soreness during that span. In those games, he served as the designated hitter in 12 contests and first baseman in two, but the wrist injury forced him to the sidelines. Juan Soto and MJ Melendez have taken over the DH role, while Mark Vientos has remained the primary first baseman.

There is no clear return timeline for Polanco at this stage. The Mets are expected to take a cautious approach given the new ankle issue and his history of leg injuries. With New York sitting at 28-36 and 15.5 games behind the first-place Atlanta Braves, the urgency to bring Polanco back is minimal. Even if he were healthy, the Mets’ offensive struggles run deeper than one player.

The Mets’ offense ranks near the bottom of the league in 2026 with an 87 wRC+ that trails only the Colorado Rockies and San Diego Padres. Soto remains the team’s offensive anchor, while Carson Benge, the club’s No. 3 prospect in 2025, is hitting at a slightly below-average clip with a 97 wRC+. Brett Baty, Marcus Semien, Bo Bichette, and Vientos all underperform by wRC+ by 17-27%. Bichette’s batting average, slugging percentage, and wOBA are each at least 50 points behind expected numbers, while Vientos is hitting just .243 on balls in play.

Pete Alonso, the player Polanco effectively replaced in New York, is hitting well in Baltimore with the Orioles. Yet Alonso’s performance in another city is not the root cause of the Mets’ hitting woes. The team needs more production from its non-Soto hitters, including Benge, who will see more time at the Major League level. Baty and Semien show little promise of improvement, with the former’s thin track record and the latter’s decline in his mid-30s.

The Mets will now wait for the results of Polanco’s evaluation before deciding on the next steps. The team is set to host the Braves at Citi Field on Wednesday night.