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.