Mets star Francisco Lindor's wife has 'perfect timing' with off-day childbirth
Mets' Francisco Lindor during the middle of the fifth inning of a baseball game Friday, March 28, 2025, in Houston. Credit: AP/David J. Phillip
MIAMI — Francisco Lindor has maintained his perfect record: three children, zero days on the paternity list.
His wife, Katia, gave birth to their third child and first son, named Koa, on Sunday, the couple announced Monday on Instagram. That just so happened to be the Mets’ only day off in the first week of the season, between series against the Astros and Marlins.
“Perfect timing,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “On an off day.”
Although Lindor had been at home in the Orlando area, the Mets expected him to be in the building and available off the bench for their series opener Monday against the Marlins. Luisangel Acuna started in his stead at shortstop.
That is similar to the approach he took in June 2023, when the Lindors’ second daughter, Amapola, was born. Lindor entered as a pinch hitter in the ninth, refusing to take a game off. (Their eldest, Kalina, was born in the offseason.)
“It’s nothing new to us,” Mendoza said. “This is a guy who wants to show and wants to perform and help the team. Even when his wife is having a new baby, he’s still thinking about the team. That’s who he is. He’s a leader, a special person, a special guy, a special player.”
Entering the season, the pending arrival of the baby was an any-day-now situation. Lindor landed in Miami with the rest of the Mets early Sunday, then took a car service for the nearly four-hour drive to central Florida.
“Everyone is doing well,” Mendoza said. “And I knew right away he wanted to be here.”
Senga Day
Ahead of his 2025 debut Tuesday against the Marlins, Kodai Senga reported some anxiousness, particularly coming off an injury-ruined 2024 in which he pitched in just one regular-season game.
“Regardless of the season, the first game there are a little bit of nerves. There’s always a little bit of worry,” Senga said through an interpreter. “The most important [part] is that first inning. Getting through that is going to be big.”
The Mets arranged their season-opening rotation to feature Senga last, so that he would have as much time as possible to be physically prepared.
He threw 75 pitches in his final preseason tune-up. He said 80-85 pitches Tuesday “would be a good assumption;” Mendoza said “we’ll see.” It will depend partly on how well Senga pitches.
Extra bases
Mendoza said he got positive feedback on Dedniel Nunez’s first outing with Triple-A Syracuse Sunday. He recorded three outs over parts of two innings — a test the Mets wanted him to pass before bringing him back to the majors — and is scheduled to do so again Thursday
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.
